Daybreak
by mamagrimes
Summary: Childhood best friends are reunited after years of being apart and now rely on each other in a world gone very wrong. As they learn to survive and fight for an uncertain future, will their deep friendship turn into something more? Something that will make them do anything in order to stay alive? A Young Adult story meant for mature audiences due to violence and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

**Then – Age 10**

Girls were annoying. Talking all the time, always raising their hands in class to show off how smart they were and never wanting to bait the hook when they fished.

His mom would have accused him of 'generalizing' and 'stereotyping' and then he would reply that he was just speaking the truth. As a boy entering fifth grade in just a couple of months, he knew enough about the world to know that girls...were...annoying.

And now he had to meet yet _another_ one. And to make it worse, she was his absolute closest neighbor. Just a 'stone's throw into a bucket' as his granddaddy always said. Closer than his best friend Shane and way closer than Nick or Bobby John and miles closer than the only girl on his approved list, Lori Phillips.

And the only reason _she_ was approved was because Mr. Phillips owned the drugstore in town and gave him free pixie sticks when he stopped by on his way from school to visit his dad at the police station.

His mom would have made that clucking noise with her tongue if he told her that and said friendships need to be earned not bought but he was only ten and didn't know much about earning yet.

Well, that's what he'd say anyway.

As his Dad rang the doorbell, Rick pulled the scratchy collar of his brand new golf shirt away from his neck and moved restlessly from foot to foot, his 'church sneakers' feeling tight around his feet.

"Stop fidgeting Rick. This is the first time you're meeting the Payton's and first impressions are lasting impressions."

Stopping a huge eye roll just in the nick of time, Rick stood tall and still with a small smile on his face as the door opened and Mrs. Payton greeted them with a friendly grin.

"Welcome, Grimes family, welcome!" she said in a musical accent that he'd never heard from a real person before, just on TV or in the movies. His mom said Mrs. Payton was born and raised in Jamaica and moved to America after going to college here.

As he followed his parents and their new neighbor through the house to the back patio, he could hear music playing through speakers and the loud voice of Old Mr. Harris going on about the bad season the Braves were having. He sure did love to complain about baseball.

Just as they neared the glass door leading to the back, Mr. Payton, a tall man with a shaved head, entered and smiled when he saw them, shaking his parents' hands. "Hey there! Nice to see you again. And you must be Rick, right?" At Rick's nod, Mr. Payton replied, "Well, nice to meet you Rick. Our daughter is around here somewhere so I'm sure you'll meet her soon."

Rick bit back a groan.

Mrs. Payton waved them through the door with a smile and they spent the next few minutes greeting their neighbors. Rick looked around but didn't see Shane or any of the other kids who lived nearby.

Looks like he'd have to deal with the new girl on his own.

As his parents walked over to chat with one of his dad's deputies, Rick sat down at a nearby table and helped himself to a handful of potato chips. With his mouth full, he looked out onto the large backyard, trying to think of excuses to leave before it was too late.

"Hi, I'm Michonne. Are you my new neighbor?"

 _Darn it_. It was too late.

Still crunching on his mouthful of chips, Rick could only nod and grunt 'mmhmm' in response.

Michonne, a tall skinny girl with big brown eyes and braided hair flashed a grin as she waved a hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, 'Mmmhmm'. You're the first kid I've met so far since we moved in so this is an exciting moment for me."

Rick's eyes widened briefly in surprise at how grown up Michonne talked but he shouldn't have been because his mom had told him that her dad was some super smart engineer who built buildings and bridges for the Defense department and her mom was a doctor. Not a medical doctor but a college doctor who knew a lot about books and writing.

Feeling the urge to catch up, Rick swallowed the remainder of his food, stood up and returned the wave. "Name's Rick. There are a few kids around but most of us just got back from overnight camp yesterday so that's probably why you haven't seen anyone."

Michonne nodded, "That's what my mama told me. She's always telling me to be patient but I wasn't born with a whole lot of patience and I think I've used most of it up since then so…." She finished with a shrug and another grin.

Rick shoved his hands into his khaki shorts and tried not to think about the fact that he was making 'small talk' with a girl.

"Well you live in King County now so you better hunt down some of that patience because everything moves slooowww down here."

When Michonne let out a giggle in response and gave him what looked to be an approving nod, Rick's cheeks grew warm. He shouldn't care about what this new girl thought of him but in the few seconds he had known her, she just gave off this feeling of having figured out a whole bunch of stuff already and that made her just a little bit interesting.

"I'll keep that in mind. Hey, do you want to see our basement? I set it all up before I even unpacked my bedroom stuff. My daddy told me I could use the finished part for my playroom. You wanna come see?"

With visions of dollhouses and coloring books littered about a big room dancing in his head, Rick bit back a groan and nodded as the good manners he was raised with took control.

Two minutes later, Rick's visions materialized in front of him as he surveyed the basement from the bottom step and saw the card table set up with painting and drawing supplies. Out of the corner of his eye, he then spotted a Barbie townhouse with a box overflowing with dolls stationed next to it.

It was like a bad car crash. He was frozen and couldn't take his eyes off of it.

"Rick, you okay?"

"Uh…I'm fine. So, um, what did you want to do?" Words spoken from a mouth reluctant to do anything but say bye and run home.

Turning his head from the doll corner, he saw Michonne on the other end of the room turning on the large television set. An older model but one suited to a basement rec room. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rick hurried over to the couch in front of the TV, figuring they'd watch a movie, which was way better than playing with dolls.

And then he saw it. Or should he say _them_.

Two PS2 controllers being placed on the table by what was suddenly the most awesome girl on the planet.

"My daddy doesn't let me have shooting games cuz I'm still a kid but I have Harry Potter and NBA2k. You wanna play?"

Rick could only nod and smile as he took the controller from Michonne.

And as Michonne started up the game, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye and said with a small smile, "The art supplies are for me to keep my drawing skills up because all of the best engineers draw really well and the dolls are for when my little cousins come to visit. So don't worry, I won't force you to do that stuff."

Rick's cheeks pinkened with embarrassment over being caught making judgments but he recovered quickly and returned her smile as he fingers manipulated his controller with lightning speed.

"Nah, as long as I get to drive the Barbie corvette, we're good."

After a surprised snort of laughter, fingers moving her controller just as quickly, Michonne responded with a grin. "I think we're gonna get along just fine Rick Grimes."

Rick just smiled.

 **The next day**

 _Maybe this small town living won't be torture after all_ , Michonne thought as she walked across the street to Rick Grimes' house. She was excited to have a new friend living so close to her, especially at the very beginning of the summer! Rick hadn't left her side the whole night last night, even when other kids had joined them downstairs. He introduced her to all of them: Shane, a dark haired boy who liked to crack jokes and embarrass Rick; Lori a tall, pretty girl who had looked over at the box of Barbie dolls while the rest of them played video games; and Andrea, a blonde girl with a sassy mouth just like hers that she knew she would get along with.

All of the kids were cool but Rick was the coolest. Actually, he wasn't even _cool_ but they _got_ each other even after just one night and she knew she was going to have a fun summer. As she rounded the corner of his house into his backyard, her eyes immediately lifted to the super tall oak tree and what was nestled in between its branches fifteen feet off the ground.

A completely awesome tree house. At _least_ ten feet by ten feet, well built and sturdy.

Returning Rick's wave, Michonne sprinted to the ladder and climbed up, excited to explore the inside and see the view.

As she entered through the doorway, she surveyed the inside and it lived up to everything she hoped it would. Solid wood with no gaps for wind to blow through, a high roof for good ventilation and three windows for a view from all angles. Running her hand appreciatively along the walls, Michonne nodded in approval.

"This is an awesome house. Your daddy built it?"

Tilting his head in curiosity as he watched Michonne inspect the club house as carefully as his dad's roofer friend did, Rick then stood a bit taller in response to the compliment.

"My dad and I built it with some help from my grandpa."

Well, a _lot_ of help as his dad didn't have a whole lot of tools in the garage for this kind of stuff. But it had been a ton of fun to build and made last summer fly by.

Michonne's smile grew bigger as she saw the bean bag chairs in the corner next to a stack of comic books and two walkie talkies. _What a cool place!_ If she were Rick, she'd live in here the whole summer. Walking over to the comics, she picked the first one up and almost squealed with excitement.

"You read Spiderman?"

Rick nodded. "I collect a lot of the Marvel characters. That stack is just the most recent stuff. I've got more in my room."

Michonne grinned as she dropped into the bean bag chair behind her. "I'll bring over some of mine tomorrow, okay? And we'll look and see what we each have and what we're missing?"

Rick dropped into the bean bag next to his brand new friend, officially the coolest girl he'd ever met and grabbed the next comic in the stack.

"Sounds like a plan."

 **Then - Age 12**

She couldn't breathe. Her heart hurt and she couldn't breathe. Focusing on the Tennessee Titans poster nailed to the wall a few feet away from her spot on the fort's floor, she cleared her mind until her breaths came back and she no longer felt like she was going to pass out.

On her run from her house to Rick's, Michonne had passed the flowers her mother had planted this spring. Flowers that were brightly colored and as tropical as her mama could grow in Georgia. Bright reds, purples and yellows, they grew straight and tall under the tender care of the woman who wanted to keep a bit of her homeland with her.

Those colors flashed in front of her as her eyes became cloudy with tears.

Would those flowers be here next summer? Or would they just leave an empty patch of dirt to remember them by?

Drawing her legs to her chest, Michonne closed her eyes tight against the tears and buried her face in her knees, resolving never to look at those flowers again.

After a few silent minutes, there was a quiet thump of footsteps on the ladder to the fort and then silence again as the person sat down on the floor next to her. Knowing who it was, Michonne kept her face buried, wanting to keep her tears to herself.

Another minute of quiet and then, "I'm sorry about your mama, Miche. I'm sorry she's so sick."

 _Sick._

Such a small word that could mean so much. It could mean a cold, a fever, a stomachache.

Or it could mean cancer. _Terminal_ cancer.

With anger fueling her, Michonne picked up her head and turned to scowl at the best friend who only wanted to comfort her. But he didn't know she wouldn't be comforted today.

"She's gonna _die_ Rick. _Die_. She's past sick. She was sick a month ago and now she's _dying_. Do you understand?"

Rick took in a shallow breath as his fingers twitched helplessly and his eyes moved over Michonne's damp face, ignoring her angry words and only seeing her sad eyes. He had run home from school today, worried when Michonne didn't meet him at the doors to walk with him like she normally did. As soon as he entered his house, he saw his mom wiping tears from her eyes and hugging his dad. And when she told him about Michonne's mama, he didn't stop to think, but ran to his fort, knowing that's where she would be.

Feeling completely helpless, Rick responded the only way he could, with complete honesty.

"I understand and I know you're upset and I know I can't do anything about it. I'm sorry. That's all I can say."

When Michonne swiped the tears off of her cheek and let out a shuddering exhale of breath, Rick cupped his hand over her shoulder and squeezed, wishing he could make her pain go away.

"You're not alone with this. You're never gonna be alone, _never_. I can't make your mama better but I'm here if you need to yell or cry or kick something okay?"

Michonne's mouth curved into the tiniest of smiles and Rick sat up just a little taller at the sight. Her face turned down towards her legs that now rested flat against the wooden floor, she slid him a sidelong glance. "Are you giving me permission to kick you G-man?"

Removing his hand to join his other in the air as a sign of surrender, Rick returned her smile with a small one of his own. "Anytime. Just not with those work boots you wear when you go with your Dad to his job okay?"

Michonne's anger at the world deflated as she fell back into the easiness and comfort that was their friendship. Nodding her agreement with his request, she leaned back against the fort wall and clasped her hands loosely on her lap.

"Sneakers only. I promise."

 **Then - Age 14**

This was supposed to be the best summer of his life. The last summer of his childhood and the last summer before he entered high school. Long hot days at the lake fishing, swimming, canoeing. Just being carefree and milking every hour for all its worth.

But that was all gone. _Ruined_. Instead he had days filled with too many hours, too many minutes of gray and boredom and suffocating _regularity_ ahead of him. He had no idea how he was going to get through it and already wanted the distraction of school to start up.

She was leaving. Moving away to the other side of the world, to _Japan_ , so her dad could accept another job building bridges with the military.

 _It was a great opportunity and a fresh start,_ Mr. Payton had told his parents as he and Michonne had sat like statues on the Payton's couch.

He was going to take down the fort as soon as she left and use the wood for a bonfire. No he wasn't. He couldn't do that to their memories. He was better than that.

Picking up a large branch from the ground, he threw it as far as he could into the small lake near his house, channeling his anger into the physical activity.

The brand new cell phone chirped from his pocket, letting him know he had a text message. His parents and Michonne's dad had surprised them both with the phones, telling them that they would still be able to stay in touch even thousands mile apart.

He had almost thrown the phone against the wall in response as texting was NOT the same as spending every day together, studying together, watching football games together, teasing each other, making each other laugh...A second chirp from the phone interrupted Rick's pity party and he pulled it out with a sigh, flipping the phone open with a flick of his wrist.

 _What did that poor branch ever do to you?_

Whipping his head around, Rick saw Michonne a few yards away, matching phone open in her hand, a small smile on her face.

This isn't her fault. None of this is her fault. _Be a friend_. As Rick set his head straight, he turned his back on Michonne and let his fingers fly over the keys as he responded the way he knew he should.

 _Wrong place at wrong time. Shit happens._

Rewarded with the sound of Michonne's soft chuckle, he had to only wait a few seconds before she drew up next to him, closing her phone and sticking it back into her pocket. After a few seconds of companionable silence, she broke it.

"We leave for the airport in an hour."

Worst sentence _ever_ and one that was a punch to Rick's gut. But he ignored it for Michonne's sake.

"Yeah I know. Are you all packed up?"

Michonne was silent for a moment as she gazed out at the lake, her full lips pulled inward as if suppressing emotion and censoring several sentences until finally turning to him.

"We have one hour left until I move almost 7,000 miles away and I don't want to spend it making small talk okay?"

Rick swallowed past the lump that suddenly lodged itself in the middle of his throat and nodded, unable to speak as the realization he was about to lose his best friend settled in for the duration.

And for the next hour, as their time together went by too quickly, Rick and Michonne walked the nearby trails in the woods surrounding their neighborhood and reminisced about their firsts for everything. Their first meeting, their first classes together in middle school, their first fight, their first canoe trip across the lake without their parents.

So many firsts. And then a thousand shared memories after. Memories that would have to sustain them and their friendship for the duration of their high school years. Memories that both of them knew they would never give up to time or the distractions of everyday life.

Finally, as the time neared for Michonne to leave, they left the wooded trails behind and Rick walked her to the steps of her back porch, the lump that he had forgotten for fifty minutes lodged back in his throat. While he wasn't going to cry, he sure felt like he could.

He just didn't want Michonne's last impression of him to be of a teary eyed fool. She deserved better.

 _She didn't want to go_. But she couldn't let her Dad go without her. She couldn't let him be alone as he needed her as much as she needed him. They had been a team ever since Mama died and she would support him the best way she could.

Even if she was leaving a big part of herself back here in Georgia. Back here in this quiet neighborhood filled with both the happiest and saddest memories of her life.

Back here where her best friend in the whole world, the friend that knew her better than she even knew herself lived.

Inhaling a deep, shaky breath, Michonne looked down at her hand as it dug into the pocket of her shorts and drew out her parting gift to Rick. Looking back up, her gaze took in her friend's serious face and she knew he was having a hard time thinking about goodbyes, just like her. She held out her hand and forced a smile.

"Here, I want you to have this."

Rick looked down at the strip of three small pictures that came from a photo booth they had gone into last year when Michonne went with him and his parents on a trip to the big mall in Atlanta.

As he looked at their grinning, laughing faces, he felt a bubble of emotion well up from his stomach and his hand started to shake. He stared at his happier self and his best friend's pretty, smiling face and knew what it was to be grown up. To no longer be a child.

Only grown-ups could feel this type of pain and he couldn't imagine a day when it would go away.

Knowing Michonne needed a response, Rick lifted his head and was surprised to see her through blurred vision then realized those damn tears had come out after all. Swiping a hand across them and clearing his throat, Rick met Michonne's gaze and saw her blinking through her own tears.

"Thanks Miche. I'll keep it safe, I promise."

With a smile that Rick knew was forced, Michonne gestured toward the strip in his hand, "Just as long as that safe place isn't in that desk drawer with those slides of frog parts, okay?"

A hoarse chuckle escaped as Rick carefully put the gift in his back pocket. Michonne loved to tease him about his obsession with biology and his attachment to his microscope just as much as he teased her about her math geek status and subscriptions to engineering journals.

"It'll be on the top of my dresser, far away from the slides."

And, as Michonne quietly nodded, her smile fading, Rick remembered his goodbye gift and pulled it out of his pocket, his face growing warm as he handed it over to her.

Michonne gasped as she looked down at the small gemstone dangling from a delicate gold chain.

 _Almandine Garnet_. Discovered by her and Rick while they explored the countryside around her dad's worksite a couple of counties over. It had been their second summer as friends when they were both only eleven. It seemed like a hundred years ago yet she remembered each moment.

Her daddy had to supervise a bridge construction on a job an hour away and a bored Michonne and Rick begged him to let them tag along. After getting approval from her mama and Rick's parents, they hopped into the back of his truck and went off on their adventure.

It had been a perfect summer day with a sky so blue and bright it hurt your eyes if you looked at it too long. She remembered the excitement in Rick's eyes and knew it was mirrored in her own. They'd get to spend the whole day at the base of a mountain near a quarry and her daddy told them he'd give them tools to dig for treasure.

They had both been old enough to know they wouldn't find _actual t_ reasure but still looked forward to the hunt.

And for hours they dug and used their picks, blasted the portable radio they brought and then found a mother lode of industrial grade almandine garnet. Michonne remembered how she and Rick had jumped up and given each other high fives as they scraped the dirt and pebbles away from their find.

It had been a perfect summer day. Spent with each other.

And now she was being gifted with that memory on a chain she would wear around her neck and never take off.

Her eyes welling once again with tears, Michonne reached out with trembling fingers to take the necklace from Rick.

"My dad helped me cut off a small piece of the chunk I brought home from the quarry and then I put it through the rock polisher at school. It shined up really nice. Hope you like it." Rick's voice was gruff and as Michonne looked up, she saw that he had his hands deep in his pockets and was studying the sneaker he kicked the grass with.

"I love it. I love it times a million. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Michonne tried to undo the clasp on the thin chain but her fingers were shaking so she handed it back to Rick. "Can you help me put it on? My fingers aren't working."

Michonne could have asked him for the world in that moment and Rick would have jumped to say yes. With a quick nod, he took the necklace and fumbled with the clasp for a minute as his own fingers weren't that steady and then finally he had it open. By then, Michonne had turned her back on him, her braids already pulled up in a ponytail, leaving her neck bare.

As Rick walked a step closer, their similar heights putting his nose practically nestled in her ponytail, he felt his heart start to race, a familiar feeling whenever he sat or stood too close to Michonne lately. It hadn't always been that way, but this past year his body had become very aware she was very much a _girl_ and not just his best friend.

He had been terrified of this awareness in the beginning. Now he was just frustrated and confused as he knew the feelings wouldn't go away just because Michonne was moving across a continent and ocean for the next four years.

As Rick's arms rose over her head and he moved to stand right in back of her, Michonne swallowed hard as all of the emotions of the day and the past few months warred with the tickle of awareness that she had no idea what to do with and, as his fingers brushed against her shoulders and neck, she closed her eyes, mute with the sense of loss overwhelming her.

She was losing her friend and...more. Family? Definitely not brother. But definitely more than friend.

"There. All set."

Michonne turned around with a soft smile as she looked down at the red gem sparkling in the sun. And when she looked up with shining eyes and a quiet, 'Thank you,' Rick was almost undone.

"Michonne, sweetheart! Time to go!"

Rick's hands clenched inside his pockets as he watched Michonne turn her head toward the sound of her dad's booming voice. "Coming Daddy!"

And with those two words, it was time to say goodbye.

Forcing a bright smile, Michonne touched her necklace once more and said, "Don't forget to text, okay? Even when you're super busy with classes and sports and everything, remember your poor lonely friend in Japan, okay?"

Rick returned her smile with a crooked one of his one, willing to force a lightness he didn't feel just to keep her smiling.

"Poor lonely friend? No way. You're gonna have twenty friends your first month there, just you see. You'll be the one forgetting me."

And with that, Michonne's smile disappeared and her eyes became watery once again as she shook her head vehemently no. "I'll never forget you Rick Grimes. Not in a million years." Then at the sound of her dad's car horn honking, Michonne raised her hand in farewell, tears coming down uninhibited as she turned to go.

Rick stood still as a statue, knowing that if he said anything, he'd lose it, as his best friend left him. Just as Michonne reached the corner of her house, she stopped, turned around and ran back to him, throwing her arms around his neck for a fierce hug that he couldn't return fast enough.

With each of them whispering goodbye in the other's ear, Michonne left his embrace and ran towards the front of the house. Rick should have stayed where he was and let that last embrace be the memory of her he kept with him but instead he followed her at a dead run, turning the corner of the house just as she shut the passenger door. As he skidded to a halt on her front lawn, Rick raised his hand, not even caring if she saw his tears.

Michonne looked up, saw Rick waving at her and she placed her hand against the window, a small smile curving her lips.

And as the car drove down the street and around the bend, Rick knew his childhood went with it. The lightness, the laughter, the carefree days left with Michonne and he could only hope he'd get them back someday when she returned.

 **Now - King County, Georgia**

It was all gone. _Everything_. His home. The school and town he'd grown up in. His friends.

His family.

Rubbing his hand across eyes gritty with no sleep, he crouched over the two hastily dug graves, his heart a heavy weight in his chest, its insistence on continuing to beat something he now resented.

Why should he live when they didn't? What was he supposed to do now? What was the _point_? The world had gone away so maybe he should just lie down on the ground next to his family and go away too.

He could hear the moans and knew they had seen him, _smelled_ him. Knew that they were going to reach him in just a few short minutes. More angry than afraid, he stood slowly, his eyes remaining on the graves at his feet as he blocked out the sounds around him. Folding his hands at his waist as he'd been taught since he was old enough to walk, he recited old words that may have been as much for him as it was for those he had just lost.

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul."

 _A lifetime of memories flooded his mind, memories filled with laughter, comfort and family._

"He guides me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake."

 _Noisy dinners. Football games on the TV. The quiet of every Christmas morning before dawn broke._

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, They comfort me."

 _Arms wrapping around his shoulders with nothing but love. Nothing but love._

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord – forever."

And with those last words, he unclasped his hands and looked up as the moans were practically in his ear. Without thinking, and ignoring the heavy gun holstered at his hip, he unsheathed the long hunting knife and stabbed the two intruders between their eyes, not caring that their rotted blood sprayed onto his hands.

The instinct to live was still present after all and he decided to honor his dad's dying words.

He would survive. He would carry on as long as he could just like his dad asked him to.

He was supposed to start his freshman year at Emory University next week, his Dad was supposed to be preparing to be re-elected as King County's Sheriff and his Mom should have been celebrating twenty years of teaching high school Biology.

Those milestones were never going to happen as the world had other plans. He was going be the last of his family until Death decided to call on him as well.

And the way the world was now, that visit could come any damn day.

 **Now – Outside of Washington D.C.**

The house and the land around it were still quiet after two days of surveillance from the cover of trees. No sign of people and no sign of _them_.

The _dead_. The monsters. The walking blight that had killed her world, erased her future and made her nothing more than her ability to survive another day.

She felt like a fading shadow of her former self. The girl who was loved and cared for, who had just graduated top of her high school class. The girl who had all the possibilities of the world in her grasp to do with what she chose.

And now? Now she was a functional mind and two legs to walk or run with and two hands to fight. She was alone and the only possibilities in sight were survival or death.

Happiness, hope and gratitude were quaint memories that filled her with resentment as she decapitated and stabbed the enemy around her. The enemy that had taken the remainder of her family from her so viciously.

There were days that she considered walking into the large river that she had led her to this place. Just walk in and never come out. But they were never more than fleeting thoughts because she was raised by two people who showed her that life was precious. That _she_ was precious and had worth and was here for a reason.

So she carried on. She survived but could not conceive of a future beyond that.

As rage, grief and helplessness all battled for control of her heart, her mind relied on instinct and its innate ability to plan, to calculate and to _build_ from chaos. There would be time to indulge her heart once she had seen her plan come to fruition.

 _Time to claim my new home_ was her last thought before grabbing her backpack and stepping out of the shadows into the light.

 **King County, Georgia**

It was time to go. Time to leave the only home he'd ever known and time to leave his family behind as death closed in around him. As he slowly packed up the few belongings stored beneath his cot in the high school he had just graduated from two months ago, he considered which direction he would travel and how little that decision really mattered.

He threw his clothing into his backpack without a thought but as he picked up the remainder of what was left of his former life, the emotions he'd buried these past few weeks came bubbling to the surface.

His dad's watch. Given to him as an anniversary gift from the wife he adored until the end.

His mom's first edition of Darwin's book on evolution, gifted to him as a graduation gift.

His dad's service weapon, a heavy gun he had always coveted and now would wear holstered at his hip.

Taking a deep breath as he once again took control of his emotions, he zipped up his backpack but as he ran his hand along the outside of one of the smaller pockets, his heart raced as he remembered what was inside.

With hurried fingers, he unzipped the pocket and pulled out the gift from so long ago. Given to him when the world still existed and he thought the worst that could happen was the separation from a best friend.

Several minutes went by as he stared at that memento, as memories crashed over him, memories that made him smile so very briefly until grief took its firm hold once again as he realized he'd never have that reunion he'd craved for so long.

With a swipe across his eyes, he finally placed the reminder back into its pocket and threw the pack over his shoulders. As he walked towards the gym's exit, he said his goodbyes to the few remaining townspeople who were also packing up. Just as he approached the door, he stopped suddenly as one last memory played out before him. One last memory of an innocent time filled with adventure and laughter.

His eyes widened and his breathing came out in fast bursts.

It was a crazy idea. A dangerous and crazy idea.

But, _what if_?

A rusty bark of laughter escaped him as he repeated in a whisper to himself.

 _What if?_

With renewed purpose, he ran outside towards the man packing his car, his wife and son already waiting inside.

"Mr. Jones?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Is your offer for a ride to North Carolina still good?"

"Of course. We'd love to have you. What changed your mind?"

He smiled. "I have a place to go to now."

 **Outside of Washington D.C.**

 _One intruder_. In the study directly above her head.

As she crept up the stairs from the basement, her hands raised to grip the sword slung on her back, preparing herself for a rare confrontation with the living after a month of only having the dead for company.

Opening the door silently on well oiled hinges, she stood still to listen and to determine where the intruder was now.

 _There!_ He was in the first floor bedroom, moving quietly and carefully but not quietly enough for someone who had lived alone with only the sounds of a 250 year old house to keep her entertained.

Removing her sword from its sheath, she moved quickly through the study toward the bedroom door.

 _No signs of life_. There was a thick layer of dust on the old furniture and not one lamp, not one table had been moved. Suppressing the frustrated sigh from escaping his lips, he continued his examination of the old bedroom, impatient to discover something, _anything_ to tell him his 600 mile trip hadn't been in vain.

Focusing on his fruitless search, he didn't hear the signs of life until it was too late. The moment he heard the creak of the floorboards behind him, he felt the cold prick of steel against the back of his neck, where a single thrust would impale his brain stem and drop him dead immediately.

"Hands in the air asshole. _Now_."

Three conclusions immediately raced through his head. Female. Young. Fearless.

 _Could it be her_? He didn't recognize the voice right away but didn't expect to after so much time. If it wasn't her, was it someone he could reason with? Bargain with? Or were they too far gone?

 _Was it him_? Why did she let herself have hope? Taller than her with broad shoulders and strong arms. Not medium height and slim. Disheveled, curly hair, not hair cut close to the head with military precision.

Dammit...she didn't _know_. So much time had passed. _Could it be him_?

She didn't have another second to debate as his raised hands shot down in a flash as he pivoted and turned to face her, holding a large revolver aimed between her eyes.

Head tilting to the side, he examined his foe closely, his breathing coming in fast bursts at first and then slowing as calm took over.

The lanky girl he remembered was now young woman with slim curves and lean, muscled arms that could hold a sword with confidence. And the braids were gone, replaced by dreadlocks.

But those _eyes_. Those big brown eyes were the same ones who had stared at him so sadly from the front seat of her father's car as it sped away all those years ago.

It was her. _He had found her_.

Her heart racing, she positioned her sword against his throat, prepared to defend herself. Prepared to make her first kill so she could continue to live.

And then she looked up from his throat to his mouth, his nose and then his blue eyes. Each feature was revealed in mere seconds but seemed to move in slow motion. Features as familiar to her as her own. The mouth that she had teased into laughter so many times, the nose that he had inherited from his father and distinguished him from boring handsomeness into something so much more interesting.

When she looked into his eyes, she saw them blur with emotion as she knew hers were.

She dropped her sword at the same time he holstered his gun and a second later strong arms wrapped around her as she buried her face into his neck with a sob.

"I found you Miche."

Another muffled cry and then...

"You found me, Rick. _You found me_."

 **Then - Age 13**

"Okay, your turn, G-man. Ask away."

They had barely left their street behind on their walk to school and Michonne was already pressuring him to play their game. Jeez, didn't she ever want to just listen to the birds or look at clouds? It was always something with her and that big brain of hers.

Not that he really minded but he liked to pretend once in awhile that she didn't completely rule his world.

With a small smile at that thought, Rick looked up at the sky and scrunched his face like he always did when he tried to think of something clever when they played this one.

Oh here's a good one.

"What if the world ended and you were one of the last people on earth and you could live _anywhere_. Where would you live?"

Michonne came to a dead stop and pivoted to face her best friend, mouth agape and hand on her hip.

"Rick Grimes that is one dark question. _Way_ too dark for a sunny June morning."

After stopping briefly beside her, Rick shrugged as he once again walked toward their middle school.

We've played this one so many times, I'm running out of ideas."

 _Sigh_...Michonne stopped _again_ , this time her eyes wide with surprise instead of her mouth.

Girls were so _dramatic_ sometimes.

"Running out of ideas? How about 'What if Destiny's Child invited you to join them for their world tour as a stage hand but you had to repeat 7th grade?' 'What if Lori Phillips beat you in Math League?' 'What if...'

Rick's raised hand stopped Michonne mid-tirade as she raised an indignant brow.

One did not raise a hand to Michonne Payton without some level of risk to one's person but dammit, they had to get to homeroom on time.

"I concede to your far superior grasp of the 'What if' game. Now answer my question."

With a huff and an eye roll, Michonne thankfully started the walk towards school once again.

"Okay _Goth_ boy, I'll answer your doom and gloom question, jeez." After a few moments of silent consideration, her lips curved into a sly smile as she slid her gaze toward him, not slowing her steps at all.

"There's really only one answer, of course."

Rick returned her gaze and smile, always enjoying her creative responses.

"And what's that?"

"Mt. Vernon."

"George Washington's home?"

A brisk nod and then, "Yup. Think about it. If you're end-of-worlding it, you have to go to our nation's capital because that's where all the important people live and if I'm one of the last people around? I'm pretty damn important."

Rick responded with a contemplative nod, enjoying how a silly game to pass the time opened the door to so many interesting discussions. "But why not the White House? Why Mt. Vernon?"

Michonne's smile was now joined with a twinkle in her eye which meant she had all the answers.

Michonne often wore a smile and a twinkling eye.

"Mt. Vernon has a great location right on the Potomac so I'd have a water supply and all those fancy rooms to sleep in. Not to mention I could visit the old Prez at his tomb now and then for company."

"Ew… _now_ who's being dark?"

"Hush…and there are all those livestock animals just hanging out waiting to provide me with meals…"

"Talking to a dead president _and_ butchering Bambi? The end of the world is revealing an interesting side to you."

Michonne rolled her eyes as they made the last turn towards school. "Says the boy who hunts Bambi's mom _and_ dad _and_ Thumper every fall…."

"Point well taken. Continue."

"In addition to all of those totally awesome, logical reasons to settle at Mt. Vernon, you know what the best one is?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be pretending to listen with baited breath."

Michonne let out a chuckle, always enjoying her friend's quick wit.

"Irony."

"Say what?"

Michonne stopped walking once again so she could finish her awesome answer with a proper flourish.

" _Irony_. A girl with a Jamaican mother and a father born and raised in the south side of Chicago becoming lady of the manor that had once relied on the backs of slaves? Sign me up for that job."

Stopping as well, Rick faced his friend with a grin, enjoying her cocky stance and smug expression. "You know what? I could totally see you doing exactly that. Mt. Vernon would never be the same."

And with a final grin, Michonne took off once again for their school. "You got that right. And all the wood from those slave cabins would keep me warm over winter."

Rick shook his head in amusement as he picked up his pace to keep up with Michonne.

"Well if it ever comes to that, I hope you'll have a guest room saved for me."

"It's the end of the world, G-man! You can have your pick of the rooms."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

 **A/N: I'm so happy to be sharing this story with you all as it's the one that dragged me out of my hiatus. While the focus will be on teenage Richonne, there will be occasional visits to their childhood to build up their history together. I've always loved the idea of them growing up as best friends and have finally found a vehicle with which to explore that idea.**

 **While this is a very AU story, I just can't stay away from the apocalyptic setting. It's too great a backdrop for the Richonne love story!**

 **Thank you all so much for checking my story out and I hope you come along for the ride because it's going to be a wild one.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Then –Age 11**

The chatter around the campfire died down as both sets of parents realized the two children in their fire lit circle were unusually glum, sitting silently next to each other and resting their chins on propped hands.

Silent communication was passed between the adults with eyes, nods and gestures and then Mr. Grimes leaned forward in his chair, poking at the fire with a long stick as a he slid a glance toward the sullen duo.

"So…..how was your day kiddos?"

Without even lifting their chins from their hands, they replied in unison.

"Fine."

More silent communication with raised eyebrows this time and then it was Mr. Payton's turn.

"Well now that we've got that settled, why don't you both tell us what's on your minds, hmm? You have a captive audience."

Rick slid his gaze to Michonne as she slid her gaze to him, then upon Rick's nod Michonne sat up in her chair with a heavy sigh and spun their tale of woe.

"Well, Rick and I have been talking…."

"Every hour of every day, we know that dear." Mrs. Payton broke in with her lilting accent infused with a trace of dry humor and Michonne rolled her eyes before continuing.

"….and we've decided that we're done being kids and we don't want to wait seven more years to be grown-ups."

A moment of amused silence as the parents pondered that declaration.

"Why are you done with being kids? It seems like a pretty sweet gig to me." Mrs. Grimes replied with a tilt to her head and a small smile curving her lips.

Rick huffed and sat up straight, using his fingers to count the reasons. "We're already smart so school is boring. Kids our age care about stupid stuff like TV, kickball, who has a crush on who and whether or not they're wearing the coolest sneakers _and_ we can't go anywhere without having one of you have to drive us."

Michonne nodded her agreement. " _Exactly_. Why just today, Shane and Andrea _laughed_ at us and called us dorks because we were arguing over the bonus question answers from the Social Studies test. And they're our closest friends!"

Sympathetic murmurs and nods were given by the parents as Michonne continued, fired up.

" _Then_ …..our lunch table got mad at us because we're skipping the kickball tournament this weekend because we have our project to finish for Science Olympiad _and_ ….." a deep breath was taken before continuing, "we _really_ want to get jobs so we can make money and buy cool equipment for our hobbies but, of _course_ , we're too young to do all of that." And, with that, Michonne sat back in her chair with a huff, her arms folded across her chest as she lifted her chin and looked into the campfire.

Rick mimicked her posture and added a profound, "That's right," with a nod.

After taking a second or two to process this information, Mr. Payton was the first responder to the perceived crisis.

"It sounds like you two had a pretty bad day and I'm sorry for it. Now listen, I know it can be really hard waiting to grow up, thinking you're missing out on all this fun and cool stuff but you know what? That stuff will be there when _you_ get there. The kid stuff though? Well, it's a lot harder to go back to _that_ once you're all grown up with responsibilities."

Shaking his head at the two glum faces turning back toward the ground, Mr. Payton continued with a smile in his voice. "And don't mind your friends, they just haven't caught up to the two of you yet but they will."

And when those sage words of wisdom were met with shrugs and reluctant nods, Mr. Payton turned to his wife for help.

"Come here you two," she beckoned with a warm smile and, as they drew up beside her, she wrapped her arms around their waists and squeezed.

"There's something else to remember, you know. We only have you for such a short time and then 'poof' you're off to college and moving away, breaking our hearts…" After spotting two reluctant smiles, she continued, "Sure it's hard being a kid and not being allowed to do all the things you want, but it's just as hard being a mama and a dad and watching the time fly by as your little ones grow up. Indulge us for a little while longer okay?"

"Yes Mama."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Thank you my loves," Mrs. Payton smiled as she gave them each another squeeze, happy to see the light coming back into their eyes.

"You know what I think is the perfect medicine for all of this?" Mr. Grimes asked while pulling his guitar strap over his head. Ignoring the shaking heads, pleading eyes and murmured 'no's', he started a jaunty version of 'If you're happy and you know it' accompanied by Mrs. Grimes' laughter and enthusiastic participation.

After the initial groans were followed by giggles, Mr. Grimes nodded and winked at the other adults and then switched seamlessly over to an acoustic version of a favorite Rolling Stones song that caused the kids to scramble excitedly back to their seats.

And when Mrs. Payton started to sing in her husky alto, even the fire crackled more quietly out of respect for her gift. As she smiled through the lyrics, her two biggest fans now rested their chins in propped hands in contentment, forgetting they had ever complained about being kids.

 **Now - Mt. Vernon**

 _He's here. He's really here._ Michonne reassured herself as she nestled her face into the crook of Rick's neck and his arms wrapped even tighter around her.

"It's okay now. It's gonna be okay." Rick whispered over and over as he drew Michonne close enough that he swore he could feel her heartbeat against his.

After a minute or two of their quiet embrace, Michonne slowly pulled back so she could see her friend's face. His dear, wonderful face. As Rick loosened his hold on her and stood straighter, Michonne cupped his cheeks in her hands, her gaze moving over him in wonder.

"You're _real_. You're here, I can't believe it," she whispered.

Rick nodded, a wave of emotion closing up his throat, making it difficult to speak above a choked whisper. " _Believe it_. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

And with that reassurance, reality hit as Michonne remembered the thousand different ways Rick _could_ go away, ways she could _lose him_. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and buried her nightmares for the time being, then stood back another step and grasped Rick's hands in hers.

"I've got a million questions to ask you," she whispered.

Rick nodded as another wave of relief coursed through him, making his heart race even as his breathing calmed. "Me too."

 _She was here. He had found her._ If he kept repeating it, it had to be real and not a dream, right?

Without a word, Michonne led Rick to the antique loveseat across the room and as they sat down, she turned towards him and they stared at each other for several very long moments, both still overcome with their reunion.

And then, finally, the reality of their world intruded once again and the light dimmed in Michonne's eyes.

"You came here alone."

Rick swallowed and nodded silently as the grief was still raw and hard to acknowledge. He then looked around the house, hearing nothing but their voices and the quiet of an empty mansion.

"You too?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

Michonne's slow nod was accompanied by quivering lips and Rick's heart broke all over again as he realized her father had died.

"I'm sorry, Miche."

Watery eyes met his. "I'm sorry too, Rick, I'm sorry too."

After a few moments of silence, Michonne whispered, "What happened? Can you tell me?"

Rick hesitated for a moment and then nodded. It would be good for him to talk about it, he knew that. He also knew that it would make the events of the past few months that much more real and he wasn't sure how he was going to cope with that.

But he had Michonne now and she had him so they'd get through it together.

Shifting on the couch to face her, Rick looked at the empathy in her soft brown eyes and gained the strength needed for his story.

"My dad and I had just gotten back from our hiking trip and it was already all over the news. Infected people turning to cannibalism…some kind of deadly rabies virus…." Rick shook his head at the naiveté of those early reports. "It was still quiet at home as it started in the cities first. But then after a week or so, we were hit with our first one."

"Who?" Michonne whispered, each of Rick's memories unburying her own, making it difficult to speak.

Rick took in a deep breath as he recalled the horror of seeing someone he'd known his whole life turn into a _thing_.

"Mr. Phillips."

Michonne gasped as her hand covered her mouth and her eyes filled once again. "Oh my god…poor Lori…"

Rick nodded. "It was awful. My dad put him down but he had already infected others and that's all it took for it to start to take over."

Michonne closed her eyes as she recalled the chaos in D.C. during those early days, not knowing if the person in front of you was going to turn around and attack with mindless hunger.

Rick shifted again, laying his arm along the back of the sofa, his fingers restlessly moving across the blue velvet. "Within two weeks, most of King County had either evacuated or turned or died. I spent my days helping my dad keep the walkers away and my mom with the injured and dying."

Michonne covered Rick's restless hand with her own, needing to bring him comfort through her touch. "I'm so sorry Rick. _Jesus_ …"

Rick turned his hand over and grasped Michonne's, allowing her warmth to stave off the chill he often wondered would ever go away.

"I put down Becky Childress, John Gideon, Mr. Walters, Mrs. Walters, Farmer Daniels….." A shuddering intake of breath before he continued, "I watched Dr. Peters, Tommy and Fern Gregors and Mrs. Alexander die from their fever."

Michonne scooted closer to Rick, needing to reassure him he wasn't alone however she could. Not bothering to swipe at the tears dampening her cheeks, she took his hand between both of hers and laid it on her lap.

Nodding his thanks at her ministrations, Rick continued, looking vacantly over Michonne's shoulder as his mind hurtled him to his past.

"Barely a month after the outbreak, there were forty-three of us left in King County."

"Why didn't you leave earlier? Why did you stay?"

Rick returned his gaze to Michonne and her heart broke at the desolation she saw there.

"My dad wanted to stay until we could figure out a way to evacuate everyone. In addition to the few families left, there were old people, sick people and young children, _orphaned_ children, who were weak and couldn't survive on their own. When the doctor died, there was only me and my mom who knew anything about first aid."

With a resolute nod, Rick said, "They needed us."

Michonne nodded with understanding, knowing that Rick and his parents would never leave anyone behind.

"And they were fortunate to have you."

Rick swallowed as the worst of his memories now bubbled to the surface but he knew he had to get it all out now or he may never be able to.

"Mr. Jones and my Dad had a plan to go on a scouting run to see if there were any communities set up nearby that were strong enough to take the ones who couldn't fend for themselves. Before they left, though, we…." Rick paused as his stomach began to churn with nausea. After taking a moment, he continued. "….we worked to fortify the area around the high school where we were all living. There were a bunch of us outside, talking, laughing…..we thought our area was clear. It had been quiet for days." Rick didn't realize his voice had started to raise until Michonne squeezed his hand and whispered reassurances to him.

Closing his eyes, Rick continued. "The herd came out of nowhere. Over a dozen of them all around us. The….the noise must have drawn them to us. People panicked…there were screams….guns going off." Rick didn't even care that his own cheeks were damp with tears now, he just wanted to finish this and move on.

"A stray bullet got my mom. It hit her in the head and she died instantly. Just dropped to the ground without a sound…"

Michonne cried out and immediately moved to Rick's side on the couch, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Oh Rick….I'm so, so sorry…"

Rick wrapped his arms around Michonne, closing his eyes against the horror of that day and taking comfort in the feeling of Michonne's warm breath against his neck.

He wasn't alone. She wasn't alone. Not anymore. _Not ever again_.

"My dad had just yelled at me to scoop up the Carter twins and take them inside while he fought the herd back. They're only five and their cries were drawing the walkers towards them. When he saw my mom fall, he had barely yelled out her name when he got bit in the shoulder…."

Michonne's arms tightened even more around his waist as she quietly wept against his chest. Rick knew that she loved his parents, having become a fixture in his house over the years, so it didn't surprise him that she mourned them now.

"I handed the twins off to one of the other adults and fought off the walkers around my dad. After clearing a path, I helped him get into the school then ran back out to help put down the rest. When I came back inside, I brought him water, made sure he was comfortable and sat next to him until he died. We had six hours and twenty eight minutes together. When he took his last breath, I used the knife he gave me for my sixteenth birthday to make sure he wouldn't turn."

And with that, his tale was done.

Even as Michonne expressed her grief for Rick's parents, two people she considered family, she turned her face into his shoulder and whispered words of comfort, offered without thought but by instinct.

 _How many times could one's heart break before it just gave up?_ How much pain and horror can a person be subjected to before losing all sense of normalcy and simply giving into the darkness that was their world now?

She and Rick would find out the answers while they figured out how they would carry on after losing everything.

Now that he had spoken the words of his parents' deaths out loud, Rick was surprised to feel the vice around his heart loosening. He felt as if he could breathe a bit easier, that sharing his burdens with Michonne helped him, even if just a little.

"I miss them, Miche, and I think about them every day. I miss them so much and I know I always will. But I had to figure out how to keeping going. How to live. A month ago, I stood at their graves questioning how I was going to do that but now?" Rick looked at Michonne with a gentle smile. "Now I know."

Sitting up and away from the warmth of Rick's chest, Michonne swiped away her tears and returned his smile with a tremulous one of her own. " _Together_. Me and you."

Rick nodded, "Me and you."

After a few moments of welcome silence, as Rick and Michonne took comfort in each other's presence, Rick broached the next difficult topic. Dipping his head to meet Michonne's downcast eyes, he prodded quietly. "You ready to talk about what happened?"

Michonne quickly shook her head. "Not yet. Give me a little bit, okay? I'm still processing everything….you being here, what happened to your parents. I'm feeling pretty raw right now."

Rick nodded. "I understand. You tell me when you're ready, okay?"

Michonne smiled. "Okay."

Looking around the quiet study of their nation's first President, Rick turned to more mundane things. "So where are you living? Where's all your stuff?"

A chagrined Michonne chuckled softly then stood up and gestured for Rick to follow her. "Grab your gear and I'll show you your new home."

Five minutes later, Rick looked around the large, damp room he found himself in. Turning to his friend, he shook his head with mock sadness, glad to lighten the mood. "How the mighty have fallen. Over twenty rooms in this house and you're living in the basement? Last time I checked, ladies of the manor didn't live below stairs."

Michonne put her hands on her hips and arched a brow, falling into old habits with Rick without even realizing it. "Well, I'll have you know that _smart_ manor ladies _always_ live in the basement when it's the end of the world and the laws are all gone."

Rick's teasing grin faded as Michonne's words allowed reality to seep in once again. "Right. You're safer from intruders down here. Smart."

Michonne nodded as she pointed to the ceiling. "I can hear them before they see or hear me. That's how I got the drop on you," she explained with a chuckle.

"That drop lasted _two seconds_ before I returned the favor."

An image of Rick drawing his weapon like a gunslinger of old with a deadly gleam in his eye flashed before Michonne and, oddly, caused a rush of warmth to heat her skin.

Not knowing what to make of that, she relied on the humor that was the backbone of their friendship and waved Rick forward with an eye roll. "Come on Doc Holiday, let me show you where your new sleeping quarters are and then we can eat."

Leading him down the hall, she entered the storeroom where she had been living for the past month. "I moved the old furniture in here from other parts of the cellar. You can bunk on that couch over there and I'll take the recliner."

"You sure? You don't have to…."

"Hush. You've been on the road for weeks and need the rest so no arguing." Without stopping to wait for his agreement (therefore missing Rick's muttered 'some things never change'), Michonne walked over to the large closet she used as a pantry and pulled out some food along with several bottles of water and then gestured for Rick to join her at the card table in the corner of the room.

After a few minutes of companionable silence while they ate their meal of crackers and peanut butter and a couple of apples, Michonne broke it with a quiet laugh and disbelieving shake of her head. "I can't believe you knew to come here. That you traveled all the way here from Atlanta."

Rick took a big bite out of his apple and swiped at the juice dribbling on his chin. "I almost didn't but then I remembered that day when we played our 'what if' game and knew I had to try. Andrea had told me before everything happened that you and your Dad were spending time in D.C. after moving back from Japan so I thought I had a shot. A _remote_ shot but one nevertheless."

"Amazing. How did you get here?"

After downing the first bottle of water, Rick took the second one from Michonne with a grateful nod. "I hitched a ride with the Jones family as they were headed to North Carolina to try to find the rest of their family. It took us a while even with a car. Blocked roads, avoiding common routes, having to switch out cars…it was a rough couple of weeks."

Michonne nodded, understanding how dangerous travel was nowadays. "And then you made it from North Carolina to here on your own?"

"Yup. I had a couple of maps and knew how to hot wire cars and siphon gas so I was good to go."

Just like Rick to downplay his accomplishment. He had always been like that. Humble, not wanting to be in the spotlight. As Michonne finished her meal, a small smile curved her lips as she decided to give Rick what he wanted and not make a big deal out of his trip.

"It's a miracle that you're here. I still can't believe it. You know….I was getting ready to pack up and head out in another week or two. I knew I couldn't keep living on my own so I was going to give it a little while longer than leave and look for a community."

His heart racing at the thought of just missing Michonne, Rick sent a quick thanks to whoever was still listening. _Miracles indeed_.

"Of course I couldn't just leave you high and dry if you _did_ make it here, so I wrote you a message," Michonne declared as she stood up and walked over to the large piece of cardboard leaning against the wall. Picking it up, she walked back over and flipped it with a smile.

And in large black letters was the message: _G-man, headed your way. Should be at Fort Grimes by Christmas._

Rick's eyes widened in shock. "You were really going to go all the way to King County? _Alone_?"

Putting the sign down, Michonne shrugged. "You're the only family I have left, G. I had to try."

Unable to resist the wave of feeling that her words brought out of him, Rick stood up and walked over to Michonne, wrapping her up in a fierce hug and whispering in her ear, "Thank you." After Michonne returned his hug, Rick stepped back and swiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

"You're here now. Thank _God_." Michonne responded with a whisper as her watery gaze trapped his for several very long moments. Moments charged with an energy that was both comforting and…. _more_.

With _that_ distracting thought filed in his brain for later review, Rick backed away from their embrace with a smile. "How about we get our meal cleaned up and figure out our sleeping arrangements? I'm about ready to drop."

Twenty minutes later, their dishes were washed and put away and pillows and blankets set up for the night. Exhausted from the emotions of the day, goodnights were exchanged and sleep took over and, for several hours, the only sound in the large cellar was their soft breathing.

Until…..

"No! Get away from him! Nooooo…. _Daddy!_ "

Rick sat up at Michonne's terrified scream, took one look at her thrashing arms and legs, and ran over to her. Kneeling next to the recliner, Rick laid a gentle hand on her arm. "Shhh….Michonne, it's me. Wake up, you're dreaming."

"Daddy….run! _Dad_ ….." Michonne's eyes opened mid-scream and she looked wildly around the room, her arms still moving restlessly as if fighting something. Finally realizing where she was, she turned to Rick and stared into his eyes for support as her breathing slowly regulated.

After a minute or two, she sat up in the recliner and swiped at her damp face, took one last deep breath and then looked at Rick, now crouched in front of her.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"Don't apologize. It sounded like a really bad nightmare."

Michonne nodded as she rested against the back of the recliner. "I have it almost every night. The same one."

Rick pulled over a chair and took a seat close to Michonne. "Wanna talk about it?"

Clasping her fingers together to stop their shaking, Michonne nodded. "I don't want to but I know I _need_ to. I know it will help but it's just…." Turning her face away from Rick, she swiped at the tears that once again dampened her cheeks before turning back again. "It's my dad, Rick. It's about how he died."

Rick scooted his chair closer and leaned against the soft arm of the recliner, wanting Michonne to feel his nearness, hoping that it would bring her some comfort. Her nightmare wasn't a dream, it was a _memory_ , a horrible memory of a devastating loss. He knew that because he had those kinds of nightmares too.

"It will help, Miche. Talking to you about my parents earlier helped me. But only if you're ready."

Michonne nodded. "I have to be, don't I?" After another deep breath, she put her nightmare into words.

"My dad and I were getting ready to leave D.C. It was only getting worse and the dead were outnumbering the living. We thought we could take refuge in a government facility but those had fallen after that first month or so. We made it to an abandoned apartment building in Georgetown as our last stop before heading west out of D.C. into rural Virginia."

Michonne closed her eyes as the thousand details of that day came racing back: Her strange calm knowing that she and her dad had a plan; the methodical gathering of supplies; the reviews of maps. It was all going to work out. She and her dad were a great team and they had a plan.

Shaking her head as she returned to the dark room that was her present, Michonne averted her gaze from Rick as the sympathy in his eyes would be too much for her. "We were maybe thirty minutes or so from leaving when we heard a shout of pain out on the sidewalk. The streets had all been quiet near the building that day so the shout stood out. We ran to the front window of the apartment and saw a man clutch his chest and drop to the sidewalk. My dad didn't even hesitate, he told me to wait right there while he helped him."

Michonne closed her eyes as her screams from that day echoed in her ears.

"I yelled at him not to go, that it was too dangerous but he didn't even hesitate. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and said, 'I know CPR, baby girl. I can help him. Lock the door behind me.'"

Opening her eyes again, Michonne sought Rick's gaze, needing to draw from his strength to finish. "It took my dad a minute to get to the sidewalk and then another five minutes of performing CPR…chest compression…mouth to mouth, you name it. He just didn't want to let that man go. There weren't many of us living ones left, right? He just couldn't let him go." Michonne ended on a whisper and Rick reached out take one of her hands in his, wishing he could do more.

"What we didn't know was that the man had died instantly, most likely from a massive heart attack. And while my daddy was trying to save him, he was already turning."

Rick's eyes widened. "What? Had he been bitten?"

Michonne shook her head. "No, I checked later when I put him down….after. No bites."

Rick shook his head, the ramifications of Michonne's words too horrible to consider.

But that conversation would wait for another day. Rick squeezed Michonne's hand to urge her to continue.

"Just as my daddy was bending over the man to try mouth to mouth one more time, the…thing….opened its eyes and, in a flash, had its teeth buried in his neck. I screamed and screamed for help but there was no one around. The streets had been quiet, remember? No dead _or_ living around. I ran downstairs and through the lobby of the building, screaming the whole time…." Michonne raised both hands to the side of her head now, as if to muffle the noise of her memory.

"By the time I got to the sidewalk, he was gone. My father, my hero, the strongest man I've ever known, was just _gone_. Without even thinking, I drew my sword and put down the monster who had killed him."

And then she had collapsed next to the bloody remains of the only parent she had left, not caring if more monsters came and took her.

But the street had remained quiet and Michonne had lived another day.

 _He was helpless_. Completely and utterly helpless in that moment as the pain of her story sent a dozen pinpricks all over his heart. After taking a moment to absorb what he had just heard, Rick got up from his chair and crouched in front of Michonne, taking both of her hands in his as he dipped his face to meet her downturned one.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry your dad died and that you had to go through that alone. I would have given anything to be there that day for you, _anything_."

Michonne gave her head a vigorous shake. "No! If you were there, I could have lost you too, don't you see?"

"Shhh…I _do_ see and I hear you. But that didn't happen and I'm here now with you. We're together and we're going to keep each other safe, okay? Our parents would want that for us, don't you think?"

Michonne allowed Rick's reassuring words to steal over her like a blanket, allowed his gentle smile to help her catch her breath and allowed his tender touch to bring her back to the present. Bring her back to her refuge in Mt. Vernon's basement where she had just reunited with her oldest friend in the world.

Taking a cleansing breath, Michonne nodded and allowed a small smile to curve her lips. "Yes, they would. They'd want us to be safe and maybe….just maybe…find some happiness someday."

Rick returned her smile. "That's right. And that's exactly what we're going to do." Rick stood from his crouch and took his seat again, never letting go of her hands along the way. "We have some healing to do, you and me."

Michonne stared down at their clasped hands, replying with a silent nod.

"Look at me, Miche," Rick asked and then leaned forward when she did. "I know enough about Psychology to know that you and I most likely have some degree of PTSD, which is not surprising considering what we've both been through." After her nod of agreement, he continued. "The nightmares, the reliving of what happened, that's all part of it and, frankly, I'm not sure if it will ever go away completely but we'll get through it together, okay?"

"Together," Michonne whispered, feeling the burden of her grief start to lift as it was shared by another. All at once, exhaustion creeped in and Michonne realized that it was the middle of the night and they needed to get more rest. The thought of going back to sleep in the recliner that she had just woken up screaming on didn't appeal, however. After quickly reviewing her options, she stopped on the perfect one.

"Rick?"

"Yeah?"

Michonne felt warmth creep across her cheeks but knew she shouldn't be embarrassed. Not with him. Not now.

"I….I don't want to go back to sleep here in this chair. Can we…..can we do a sleep out?"

Rick's eyes widened at the term he hadn't heard _or_ said since he was twelve. He and Michonne had spent many summer nights as kids having sleep overs in his fort but they had called them 'sleep-outs' because they were sleeping _outside_ , which, of course, was way cooler than _regular_ sleepovers.

With a grin, Rick stood up and surveyed the room and then, seeing what he wanted, walked over to the pile of blankets in the corner. With no sleeping bags, they would have to improvise. Picking out the two blue blankets, he held them up for Michonne's inspection. "Blue's still your favorite, right?"

Rick finally saw her smile reach her eyes.

"Right."

Five minutes later, Rick settled onto the pile of blankets on the floor that would be his bed for the remainder of the night and watched as Michonne drew the bright blue blanket of her own pallet over her waist and then turn onto her side to face him.

His breath caught as he realized that sleeping inches away from an eighteen year old Michonne was _very_ different than an eleven year old one.

 _Very different._

Of their own volition (that's what he told himself anyway), Rick's eyes peeked at the curve of her hip covered by the blanket and then quickly returned to her face, his face flushed with guilt for thoughts that were in the wrong place at the very wrong time.

Desperately seeking an innocent distraction, Rick thought back to those summer nights in Georgia until he found the perfect one, the perfect game. Rolling towards Michonne, he propped his head up on his elbow with a grin.

"Knock, knock. You go first."

Michonne's surprised laugh echoed in the large room as she mirrored Rick's position, her hand supporting her shaking head. "Seriously? _I_ go first? I haven't played this game in _years_ , Grimes!"

"Neither have I and you're smarter so you go first. Go."

Loving Rick's casual acceptance of her superior intellect, Michonne caved. "Okay, okay, give me a second."

Rick gave her thirty but they were accompanied by a hummed version of the 'Jeopardy' music.

"Okay, okay! Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Euripides."

"Euripides who?"

"Euripides these jeans, you pay for them."

Rick shook his head as he half groaned, half laughed into his pillow. After a few seconds of consideration, he popped up again as he grinned at Michonne. "Okay I got one."

Michonne took a dramatic deep breath. "Lay it on me."

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Mustache."

"Mustache who?"

"I mustache you a question, but I'll shave it for later."

"Oh god…that's awful!" Michonne groaned loudly as she collapsed back onto her bedding, covering her eyes as if to shield them from the corniness that was Rick Grimes even as her shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Rick laid back with a grin, throwing his arms up in the air. "My winning streak of bad knock knock jokes continues. What is that? Like 20-0?"

Removing her hands from her eyes, Michonne turned her head and gazed incredulously at a cocky Rick just a few inches from her. "Do _not_ tell me you are proud of winning this game. You have the humor of a six year old!"

Rick chuckled, "Only when I have to in order to _win_. My competitive nature did not go away these last four years, you know."

Michonne rolled her eyes as she smiled up at the ceiling. "Neither did mine. I can't wait to beat your ass in chess tomorrow."

Sliding his gaze from the ceiling to Michonne's smug profile, Rick replied with a smirk. "Bring it, Payton," and was rewarded by Michonne's soft chuckle.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Michonne turned down the lantern next to her pallet and reached out to pat Rick's hand resting so close to hers. "I'm happy you're here with me, Rick."

Rick took in a deep breath as a myriad of feelings raced through his mind and…. his heart. Turning his hand over, he clasped Michonne's fingers in his and gave them a gentle squeeze before whispering, "Me too, Miche, me too."

And, as they fell asleep, their hands stayed clasped and kept the nightmares at bay.

 **Then – Age 11**

"Did you hear that?" Michonne asked in a loud whisper.

"Hear what?" Rick replied as he squinted while trying to read his new comic in the dim light of the battery powered lantern.

"That rustling noise. It sounds like there is _something_ right below us."

Rick sighed as he looked up from his comic to a very nervous Michonne. While she'd never admit it, he knew the sleep-out in his fort was the first time she had ever slept outside without her parents around so she was hearing normal night time noises and imagining all sorts of scary things.

Lucky for her, she was with a pro.

"The rustling is the wind blowing the leaves and the grass around and what you hear below us? That's the flapping of the closed umbrella on our patio table."

A few seconds of quiet while his reassurance was considered. And then…."I _know_ rustling, Rick. And that is _not_ rustling. It's more like…. _scratching_ …."

Denying himself an eye roll as it was bad manners to mock one's guest, Rick rose up from his prone position into a crouch and grabbed the large flashlight next to his sleeping bag. Gesturing for Michonne to follow him, they both crawled over to the entrance of the fort.

As they peered out of the doorway, Rick pointed the flashlight to the ground. "See? Nothing's there. Besides, we're fifteen feet off the ground and we pulled up the ladder so even if something _did_ want to get to us…" he paused as Michonne let out a shudder, "…they wouldn't be able to. We're super safe up here."

After squinting at the empty darkness below, Michonne turned to her friend, looking long and hard at his face for any sign of uncertainty. After finding none, she nodded. "You promise?"

Rick smiled. "Promise."

Once they were back inside their sleeping bags, Rick turned onto his side and propped his head up on an elbow, knowing just the right thing to distract Michonne from her fears. "You wanna play a fun game?"

Michonne mirrored Rick's position and nodded. "Sure, what is it?"

Rick grinned. "It's the 'Bad joke' game. Whoever tells the worst joke wins."

Michonne scrunched her nose. "Sounds like a silly game but I'm game. Get it, _game_?"

Rick groaned before he could stop himself then he snorted a laugh. "Got it. Okay you go first."

And within ten minutes, Michonne forgot all about invisible umbrella monsters as she was too busy having fun at her first sleep-out.

She didn't even mind when Rick won.

 **A/N: Thank you so much for your support of my story! I truly appreciate the feedback and encouragement. This chapter was heavy on hurt/comfort because I wanted to illustrate the trauma teenage Rick and Michonne have gone through as that will be one of the obstacles they'll have to get through on their road to happiness. The next chapter will be lighter, I promise! Keep the feedback coming!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Then – Age 13**

"Rick, you've got about ten minutes till sundown and then you kids have to come inside!"

Rick sighed as his mom's directive cut through the Spring night air and interrupted his concentration right before he made the next move in his chess game with Michonne.

"Okay Mom!" he yelled back, loud enough to be heard from his position in the tree house but not loud enough to fully communicate his annoyance.

"I'm about three moves from check mating you, G. What do you wanna do, quit now or continue our game tomorrow?"

Rick turned his gaze from the fort's window to his gloating friend sitting on the bean bag chair across from the overturned crate they used for their marathon games. Shaking his head, Rick moved his chess piece with enough of a slam to cause Michonne to raise a brow.

"Doesn't it bug you that we have this stupid curfew now with our fort? That we can't stay up here past dark anymore? What the hell do they think we're gonna do anyway?" Rick followed up those words with an impatient hand raked through the short curls at the top of his head, his frustration obvious to anyone who could see but especially obvious to the person who knew him best.

Michonne lounged back in her chair, assuming a casual air as she dove into the land of awkward conversations head first.

Her daddy always told her she had courage to spare.

"The parents put this curfew on us the day after I turned twelve last June, remember? The _day_ after I became a 'pre-teen' (this in air quotes) and set the alarms off in their groupthink."

Rick sighed as that memory careened to the forefront of his brain and then replied with pure disdain in his voice. "And just because we were both 'pre-teens', we were suddenly going to start making out with each other as soon as it got dark?"

Rick was always one to join her in the head first business.

"They're _old_ and they don't think like us. They think they know everything about kids and our behavior but they're just parroting what they read in magazines and books. They assumed that, with you being a boy and me being a girl, our fort sleepouts were going to turn into 'something more' (more air quotes).

Rick stood up, getting more agitated by the moment as he paced the small area. "We're best friends! What is so _hard_ to understand about that? We like spending time together and that's that! Just because we hit puberty and our bodies are changing and our sexuality is emerging doesn't mean we're going to suddenly become different kids. It's just a stupid conclusion to make."

Michonne loved when Rick quoted from the medical journals he had started reading earlier this year as she always looked forward to hearing the crazy, way too grown up thing he'd spout next whenever they got together.

Standing up, Michonne joined Rick by the window and they both looked out at the sun slowly making its way down to its resting place for the night.

"They don't know us like _we_ know us, Rick. They love us but they don't _know_ us. But they're our parents and we have to respect their wishes, right?"

A reluctant nod was her answer.

Michonne smiled as a thought came to her. "Hey, you wanna do an experiment to disprove their hypothesis?"

Rick turned to Michonne as curiosity lit his gaze. He was always up for anything related to science. "Sure."

Michonne pointed to the pallets set up side by side in the corner of the fort, pallets that had only been used by Shane and Rick's other _male_ friends for the past year. "Let's lie down next to each other like we used to and hold a regular conversation like we always do, okay? That will prove they're wrong and we're right."

Seemed kind of silly but Rick had no brighter ideas for how they'd spend the last five minutes in their fort.

As they approached their respective pallets, Rick couldn't help but notice how close they were, just inches apart, really. Were they always that close? Feeling his neck begin to warm, Rick swallowed and forced a cocky grin as he glanced over at Michonne.

Who as usual was ahead of him and already lying back onto the pallet, seemingly at ease with their experiment. Quickly moving his gaze from her prone form, Rick mirrored her position and stared up at the ceiling while taking a calming breath.

 _Calming breath? Why would he need a calming breath?_

Michonne turned her head with a grin, about to brag about how, once again, they were smarter than their parents, when her words stalled in her throat as she looked over at her friend. _It was different_. He was taller than the last time she'd seen him from this position and the baby fat was gone from his cheeks, giving her a sneak peek into the handsome man he'd someday become.

 _Handsome man?_

After giving himself an imaginary shove, Rick finally turned his head towards Michonne and was relieved to see her looking at him with brows lowered in concern and confusion in her eyes. That relief quickly morphed into an overwhelming sense of awareness, as if he had superhuman senses.

The crickets were louder, the air fresher, the pile of blankets softer and his heart rate stronger….all due to being _this_ close to his friend. And for a few very long seconds, he saw that same awareness enter Michonne's gaze.

And, then, as if by unspoken agreement, they both sat up and faced each other, legs crossed indian style.

Michonne, as usual, was the first to speak.

"It's different! It's _not_ the same anymore, G, and that sucks."

Rick nodded, understanding her resentment as he felt it too. "It _is_ different. I wasn't comfortable lying there like that next to you. Not like before."

Michonne sighed as she stood up and slowly packed up her belongings into the small backpack she had carried up with her. "I don't get it. You're still my friend and I still have fun hanging out with you and I _know_ you feel the same so why did that feel so weird?"

Rick stood up as well and handed Michonne her history book, left over from when they had worked on homework earlier. "I think we got what we wished for."

Michonne took the book and tilted her head in question. "What did we wish for?"

With a sigh, Rick replied. "To grow up."

Michonne sighed in response as she slung the backpack over her shoulders. "Well I didn't know growing up would feel like that. I guess I'm okay with being a kid a little while longer."

Rick nodded as he headed toward the ladder. "You and me both. Meet you at 7 tomorrow?"

 _At least their walks to school were still normal_ , Michonne thought, as she smiled her agreement and followed Rick down the ladder.

 **Now – Mt. Vernon**

It was the warmth that woke her. For the past month, she had slept alone in the cold basement of this old house and always woke up with a chill in her bones.

Not this morning.

 _This_ morning Michonne was warm and toasty, wrapped up in a soft blanket and nestled up against...

Her eyes flew open as she realized that the warmth was coming from a heavy, denim clad leg flung over hers and a muscled arm nestled into the curve of her waist, its hand resting against her lower back.

Rick was _here_. Her friend was here, against all odds, and he had comforted her after her nightmare.

Her lips curving into a smile, Michonne realized that the two of them had slept solid for the rest of the night with no more nightmares to disturb them. She vaguely remembered flipping over a few times like she normally did and she remembered always feeling warm so Rick must have kept himself close.

What a sweetheart he was. Protecting her even in his sleep.

They both laid on their sides facing each other, their faces mere inches apart. He was so close that Michonne could practically count the long lashes resting against his cheeks and feel his breath warm the small space between them.

He had changed a great deal in four years. When she had left, he had been her height with narrow shoulders and long skinny legs. He had done a lot of growing in the time since, shooting past her in height and filling out into a man's body with broad shoulders and muscled arms. As her eyes stared at his strong, square jaw, she smiled at the hint of stubble she saw there. Yeah, the boy she had left was long gone.

After giving herself a too-brief lecture on ogling her sleeping friend, Michonne allowed her gaze to travel down past his face and shoulders to stop at the chest she just couldn't stop looking at. Staring at the pecs on display through the thin cotton of the gray t-shirt he wore, Michonne's fingers twitched with the need to explore but stayed where they should, cupping her head and resting against her stomach.

It felt good to be reminded that she was still a healthy female, even after the hell she'd been through. A healthy female that ogled her best friend while he slept. Nope, nothing wrong with that, Michonne thought with a grin.

A grin that turned guilty very quickly as Rick started to show signs of waking up.

Without thinking, Michonne shut her eyes and feigned sleep, not wanting to explain why she was staring at him like a fool.

 _He was rested_. For the first time in months, since the world ended, he was rested which meant that neither he or Michonne had had any more nightmares.

 _Michonne._

Opening his eyes, Rick gazed at his slumbering friend and smiled as he looked at her slightly parted lips. He would often wake up first at their childhood sleepouts and remembered that Michonne always slept with her mouth slightly open. Back then, she also murmured occasionally, as if she were making plans even in her sleep.

But now she was quiet and Rick took a moment to truly look at her as last night he'd been too caught up in his emotions to do so. But this morning? This morning, his eyes were clear and they roamed over her sleeping face and body as if by their own free will.

The girl he had known had been replaced by a beautiful young woman with high cheekbones and a lush mouth. Traveling downward, Rick stared at her long, slender neck and then continued quickly past her chest, but not quickly enough to miss that she had curves that would warrant a second, third and fourth look by any straight guy who still had eyes to see.

It was at that moment that Rick realized how his leg twined around hers and that his hand rested, again as if on its own, against the small of her back, right above the ass he couldn't help sneaking several glances at last night.

She definitely hadn't had that ass at fourteen.

Feeling guilty for his thoughts, especially in light of what they had both just been through, Rick slowly lifted his hand from her waist and drew it back toward him. His movement must have disturbed Michonne's sleep because he could swear he saw a brief pout before her lips relaxed once more. Determined not to wake her, he moved his leg up even more slowly until it hovered slightly above hers. For a split second of crazy, Rick almost gave into the urge to lower his leg again, only this time to pull her closer.

And with _that_ entirely inappropriate thought, he turned and sat up, running both hands through his hair. Hearing signs of Michonne waking up next to him, Rick stood and walked over to his backpack, desperate to greet her with an air of normalcy.

"Morning." Michonne's husky greeting made Rick grateful he had his back to her as it fully woke up that awareness of her he had buried long ago and the power of it forced his eyes closed as if in pain.

But that was _his_ cross to bear, not hers. So, turning back to his friend, who had also stood, Rick gave her a carefree smile and returned her greeting.

Michonne tilted her head as she looked over at Rick. He seemed nervous and she figured he was embarrassed at their sleeping arrangement, poor guy. Putting her hostess hat on, she pointed to the table in the corner with a pitcher of water on it. "Feel free to wash your face and brush your teeth with that water, it's fresh. I've got another one upstairs that I'll use."

"Sounds good."

Michonne smiled as she headed toward the stairs leading from the cellar. "When you're done, meet me out on the piazza for some breakfast."

Rick narrowed his eyes in question. "Piazza?"

Michonne rolled her eyes, something she apparently hadn't outgrown when it came to reacting to his ignorance, Rick thought with a smile.

"That's the name of Mt. Vernon's porch. It's my favorite place to eat breakfast as you can't beat the view."

And with that, Michonne gave him one more smile and a short wave then turned to go up the stairs.

And Rick's gaze ( _against_ his will he convinced himself) focused on what he now knew was his favorite part of the female body, at least when that body belonged to one Michonne Payton.

Shaking his head at his errant thoughts, Rick grabbed a clean shirt from his backpack and turned toward the pitcher of water.

Ten minutes later, just as Michonne had finished setting up breakfast at the small table on the two story piazza, Rick strode up, his curls damp from freshening up and an Emory University t-shirt replacing the plain shirt from yesterday.

Gesturing for him to sit across from her, Michonne didn't waste another second assuaging her curiosity. "Emory…is that where you were going?"

Rick nodded as he poured water into his cup then opened the jar of jam for his bread. "It was my first choice so I was glad to get in."

Michonne responded with a murmur of agreement as she set up her own plate of food. "You should be. Emory is tough to get into. It's a great school." Michonne's hands stopped their movements as she sighed and looked briefly out onto the slow moving Potomac that served as their view.

" _Was_ a great school, I mean."

After a few seconds of shared silence as they both remembered their current circumstances, Rick picked up the conversation. "How about you? Where did you end up?"

"Georgia Tech."

Rick smiled, "Civil Engineering?"

"Yup. I briefly entertained the notion of going into design when I felt rebellious in my junior year but my heart always belonged to engineering."

Rick leaned back in his chair, allowing the easy conversation to relax him. "I always knew that's where you'd end up. You and your dreams of building the 'Colossal Bridge'."

Michonne stopped her hand halfway to her mouth at Rick's reminder and laughed. "Oh my God! I can't believe you remembered that!"

Rick grinned. "One does not forget the biggest bridge ever to be built in the history of mankind."

Michonne covered her face with her napkin. "What a dork I was, _Jesus_. How long did I say that bridge was gonna be? 30 miles across?"

Rick shook his head with a chuckle. "Your first version was thirty but you didn't want the Chinese to beat you too easily so you upped the ante to 75."

Michonne mirrored Rick's position and relaxed into her chair. "I was really full of myself, wasn't I?"

"You were confident, that's all."

"Yeah, whatever. Okay, now that you've embarrassed me with that memory gem, it's your turn. Did you stick with Biology? You and that microscope were inseparable back in the day."

Rick's mouth curved into a small smile at his friend's gentle teasing. "In a way, yes. Pre-med."

Michonne's eyes widened in surprise. " _Seriously?_ That is so awesome! You never mentioned wanting to be a doctor. I thought you were going to go into research."

Rick shrugged as he looked down at his plate. "It was close but joining the Explorers made the decision easy. I saw the work the EMT's were doing and wanted to do my part. I already knew by the time I graduated that I wanted to specialize in Emergency medicine."

An old memory flashed through her mind of Rick's calm and quick response to an injured runner on their cross country team and Michonne replied with pride in her voice, "You would have been an awesome doctor. Any hospital would have been lucky to have you."

Rick looked down at his half eaten breakfast as he thought of the future he had lost in addition to losing his parents. There were no more colleges, no more hospitals to apply to. It was simply about survival now.

Shaking his melancholy off, Rick thanked Michonne and then leaned forward in his chair with a grin. "Your turn now. Were you valedictorian, captain of your track team, president of your class and the star of your school choir? Anything less will be a disappointment, I'm warning you."

Michonne's laugh echoed through the large porch they sat in and gratified Rick to no end. He always loved to make her laugh.

"Salutatorian as the number 1 spot was taken by a certifiable genius. Yes to the captain but only in my senior year and no to president. I couldn't commit the time so I ran for VP instead."

Rick shook his head and smiled, impressed but not surprised as Michonne always was an overachiever.

And for the next ten minutes, they took turns going back and forth with the questions in order to catch up, all while falling back into the teasing that had always been their way with each other.

With empty plates pushed to the middle of the small table, Michonne and Rick smiled at each other in comfortable silence until Michonne asked what she'd wanted to since the moment she'd seen Rick's t-shirt. Pointing at his shirt, she asked in a casual tone, "Don't Emory and Georgia Tech have a partnership with each other?"

Rick tilted his head and looked into the distance as if in deep thought even though he knew the answer and had known it when he added Emory to his list of applications. "Yeah I think so, in research or something."

Michonne nodded and pursed her lips as she folded her napkin into a smaller square. "I think I heard they even had shuttle buses between campuses for easy access."

Rick smiled, knowing the game was up. "Well with only five miles between the schools, it makes sense to offer that."

Michonne returned his smile as the heavy weight of her grief started to lift a bit with the realization that she and Rick had both chosen Atlanta based colleges within close proximity to each other.

They had been making their way back to each other before the world ended and even when it _did_ end, they still found each other.

And she'd be damned if she'd ever let him go.

Rick leaned forward to rest his arms on the table, energized with the idea that Michonne had chosen a school so close to home…so close to _him_. She hadn't forgotten him, even after four years apart.

And he sure as hell had never forgotten her.

And now he'd never have to worry about forgetting her because they were _together_ and that's how they would stay.

Another minute or two of silence as they both looked out onto the water and then….

"Rick?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd we lose touch? That first year I was away?"

Rick continued to look out over the Potomac, staring at its peaceful flow of water while avoiding Michonne's gaze as he thought of the right answer to her question.

It had _almost_ been fun in the very beginning. Texting each other every day, sharing their challenges and successes in school and out. Rick had filled Michonne in on the idiocy of his Biology lab partner and Michonne had described the American School, a private high school she attended outside of Tokyo. For several months, Rick texted Michonne right after dinner which, with the time difference, was early morning before she had to get ready for school.

And then the texts became more sporadic as Michonne started training with her track team early mornings and Rick joined the Explorers program with the King County EMT department making his evenings busier.

Then a few months after that, their texts became briefer and almost curt, as if they were fitting each other in in between activities and commitments. Finally, after a 'have a nice summer' text, they went into radio silence.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat at those memories of long, lonely days crammed full of things to do, Rick turned his gaze to Michonne, who had leaned forward with an intense glimmer in her brown eyes. "I guess life happened, right? It just got too hard to stay in touch?"

Michonne shook her head and, with a small smile, leaned back in her chair. Looking into Rick's eyes for several long moments, she saw what she needed to see, saw the feelings he covered with his cavalier words and decided that the end of the world wasn't the place to hold their cards. Not anymore.

So, with that thought spurring her on, Michonne's smile grew wide as she responded with a simple, "Bullshit."

Rick stood up tall in his seat, his brows raised in surprise. "Bullshit?"

"Mmmhmm. Oh don't get me wrong, we _were_ busy. We had school, homework, sports and other extra-curricular commitments to keep us occupied. Why, I signed up for every club that I could, volunteered after school and ran every morning, even when it poured.

Rick nodded, "Yeah me too. Well, after the first few months of school that is. Right before Christmas, my dad suggested I join the Explorers and my mom said I should stay after school during the off season to lift weights with Shane."

 _So that's where he got those muscles_ , Michonne realized as her eyes found their way back to what was quickly becoming a favorite view.

Giving herself an inward shake, Michonne returned to the conversation. "My dad suggested I run for student government and help him build the set for the school play. Busy, busy, busy."

Rick nodded as he raised his hands in question. " _Exactly_. Life happening, right?"

Michonne chuckled as she laid her cards out on the table. "Rick don't you see what our parents were doing? They were filling our days because they knew that four years was 1461 days with leap year…."

"And over 35,000 hours." Rick finished as he realized where she was going.

" _Exactly._ Too many hours and days for us to spend missing each other and wishing we were together like we had been."

Rick nodded, smiling to himself as he realized just how much his parents had loved him and how they had worked to pull him out of his misery in those early months of high school. Looking at his friend across the table, he answered her honesty with some of his own.

"My mom found a pile of travel books on the floor in my room one day along with a notebook, and she realized I was calculating how much money I would have to earn to fly to Tokyo. It was the next day that my dad talked to me about the Explorer program."

Michonne pulled her lips in to stop them from trembling with the emotion she desperately needed to keep in check. "My dad overheard me talking to my new friends one night and told me after that he had counted over twenty references to you during their visit."

Rick smiled at the admission. "Well there you have it. Our parents were tired of seeing us be miserable so they did what they could to make the time go by faster."

Michonne nodded. "It felt good to make new friends and explore the new country I was in so I focused more on doing that than sitting at home missing you."

Rick reached across the table and covered Michonne's hand, completely unable not to touch her in that moment. "I missed you too. _So damn much_. So when I was given the distractions, I grabbed the chance to have something else to think about other than how much my life sucked."

Michonne turned her hand over to clasp her fingers tightly with Rick's. "And now here we are."

Rick squeezed her fingers in response. "And now here we are."

Fifteen minutes later, Michonne and Rick made their way down to the riverbank, armed with their weapons just in case and walked through the tall grass, enjoying the sunny, warm October morning.

After a few minutes of allowing each other time to their own thoughts, Rick broke the silence with a question he'd been meaning to ask since they reunited last night. "Where did you find that sword?"

Michonne's lips curved into a small smile as she kept her eyes facing forward. "Where did I _find_ it? Ohhhhh, in my travels."

Rick's brows furrowed at the hint of amusement accompanying her answer. Shrugging it off, he assumed she was just happy to be outside in the sun as she had always loved the outdoors.

Gesturing to the weapon slung across her back, Rick replied with no small amount of authority in his voice. "Well, you better be careful. Those things are really sharp. You don't want to hurt yourself."

Stopping, Michonne slowly turned to Rick with wide eyes and a look of innocence he'd never seen before on her face, not even when they were kids.

He had a feeling he was about to regret his words.

"You're right Rick, I _could_ hurt myself. This sword _is_ pretty lethal and it's heavy, _very_ heavy."

Rick slowly nodded, her helpless female act not fooling him for a minute so he backed up a step for good measure.

Michonne raised her arm and grabbed the hilt of her sword, slowly drawing it from its sheath. Grinning with faux excitement, she held it out in front her, cackling inwardly as Rick took two more steps back away from her.

 _She'll show him sharp._

"You wanna see some tricks I learned on my _travels_?" Michonne asked as she swung the sword like a kid playing pirate, with broad, exaggerated movements that had Rick holding his hands out in defense.

"Nah, I'm good. You know, it looks like the rain might be coming back, we should head in."

Michonne held her hand up, indicating to Rick to wait, as she stopped swinging the sword and stood still and quiet, her eyes focused straight ahead and her face calm and composed. The heavy sword was now held in front of her in a sure grip without even a tremble in her lean, muscled arms.

Rick joined her in the silence, his instinct telling him to respect her need for concentration.

And in that very next moment, her arms raised and her feet pivoted and he watched as she swung the katana with a mastery that spoke of years of lessons, of hours and hours of practice. His heart raced and his breathing came in quiet, fast pants as his eyes followed her dance across the riverbank. The sword in her hands wasn't a lethal weapon in those moments, but instead was an old friend, her _partner_ in the new world they found themselves in.

They were the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

Finally, as her dance came to an end, Michonne whipped around and, with a graceful upward swing, cut the branch that had been hanging over her head and then, in a flashing movement, brought her sword down to cut it in half before it hit the ground.

And, after that stunning display, she calmly sheathed her sword, took a cleansing breath and gave Rick a slow smile.

Willing his heartbeat to slow and the rush of….excitement….coursing through his body to settle, Rick took a deep, calming breath.

The young woman before him was his childhood friend, he _knew_ that, but she was so much _more_ now. She had secrets and skills and knowledge that he knew nothing about and that intrigued him more than he wanted to admit.

Their friendship should be one of familiarity and comfort, not… _this_.

Knowing that he was expected to respond in some way, Rick shifted on his feet and cleared his throat, his eyes meeting Michonne's and then looking away from their sparkling, dark depths.

She was as excited showing off for him as he was to watch her.

 _Damn that felt good_ , Michonne thought after sheathing her sword. She knew it was wrong of her to show off for Rick but she had to school him for doubting her and, judging by how quiet he'd gotten, she had succeeded. Tilting her head as she looked over at her friend, she saw that the poor guy looked a bit shell-shocked and confused.

Finally, he spoke just one word in a quiet rasp. "Japan?"

Nodding, Michonne smiled as she continued their walk, trying to return some normalcy to their morning while giving Rick a break. "I had become fascinated with Samurais shortly after my dad and I attended an exhibition our first month in Tokyo. My dad surprised me for my sixteenth birthday with a year's worth of lessons with a grandmaster." Michonne looked up into the morning sky as memories of that happy day rushed forward. If only she'd known how fleeting those moments would be.

"I fell in love with the katana, its history, its strength and elegance….well, let's just say I signed up for another year after getting a part time job to pay for it."

Rick smiled as he could easily picture a determined Michonne wanting to master her new skill as she never did anything halfway.

"It was money well spent, you're amazing with it."

Feeling her face warm at Rick's praise, Michonne deflected with a casual shrug. "I had an excellent teacher. He was very patient with me and allowed me time to fumble my way through."

"Well, I'm glad you stuck with it, especially how things are now."

Michonne nodded, the sunlight seeming to dim along with her thoughts as reality once again made itself known. "I've used it dozens of times since….everything. My dad encouraged me to become proficient at killing the dead with it just in case…." She paused as emotion clogged her throat. "Just in case he wasn't around to help keep me safe," she finished quietly.

While Rick's heart hurt for his friend, her words reminded him of his last moments with his own father. "My dad told me to take his service weapon before he died. Said it had done well by him and he knew it would do the same for me. He was right."

Michonne stopped at a large boulder and climbed onto it, patting the spot next to her for Rick. After he followed suit, she turned to him with a gentle smile. "And now you have a part of your dad with you. I bet he found comfort knowing that."

Rick took a deep breath, allowing the fresh air to course through his young lungs and remind him that he was very much alive and he planned on staying that way, if for no other reason, than to honor the sacrifices his parents had made to keep him and others safe.

"I like to think so. I have his watch too. It's one I gave him for his birthday a few years back." Rick held up his wrist so Michonne could see the silver watch he referred to. "He told me to take it so I would always know what day it was because this world had a way of making you lose track. He didn't want me to forget how things used to be."

 _Oh G_. Without even thinking, Michonne looped her arm through Rick's and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder in support and commiseration.

The world as they knew it had ended just three short months ago yet they had lost everyone they cared about. Their parents, their friends, everyone they had ever known.

But they had each other and the days and months ahead didn't loom quite as ominously as they did before.

"Michonne?" Rick asked after he had allowed the quiet companionship of his friend soothe the ache he wasn't sure would ever leave his heart.

"Yeah?"

"Is Mt. Vernon home now? Do you want to live here or is this just a stop along the way?"

After Michonne was silent for too long, Rick dipped his head to meet her gaze as it slowly moved up to his, her big brown eyes looking lost for a brief moment before she quickly covered it with a calm he knew was forced.

"Let's stay here while we figure it out okay?"

Rick nodded, completely unable to say no to her, no matter _what_ the risk of staying too long in one place was. "Okay. We'll stay. And we'll…." he swallowed past the lump that had come back. "We'll heal a bit."

Michonne squeezed his arm, grateful for his strength because she would need it and she hoped to share hers with him if she could find where she'd buried it. "Yeah, we'll heal."

And for the next week, they did just that. They formed a routine with each other, brought a sense of normalcy to their days that allowed them to plan, to smile and laugh and continue to learn about the grown up versions of each other.

Rick learned that Michonne had gotten her locs the day after arriving in D.C. as a gift to herself for her 18th birthday. She told him it made her feel closer to her mom. Michonne learned that Rick had stopped cutting his hair short during his junior year as a sign of rebellion that his parents allowed because, after all, he'd kept his grades up. They talked about their failed dating experiences, their love for muscle cars and how they missed playing video games as they hadn't been able to carve out the time in their busy schedules to keep their skills sharp.

Every morning they had breakfast out on the piazza and then went for a brisk walk along the river. At night or on the days it rained, they read in the small parlor on the first floor and played long games of chess that sometimes lasted into the early hours of the morning.

They explored the grounds and the outbuildings and Rick set snares in the area to catch the rabbits that had become more adventurous with the absence of humans. Rick taught Michonne how to light a fire without matches and how to scale a fish and Michonne taught Rick how to make a small wind turbine with materials she had scavenged around the mansion that allowed them to keep batteries charged.

And every night, they slept side by side on their pallets in the cellar, inevitably waking up each morning with arms and legs twined, and an ever present and _growing_ sense of awareness between them. Awareness that was muffled beneath their need to be each other's family and to be each other's path to feeling whole.

That awareness seemed more appropriate for the future and not the present. They had both suffered trauma and incredible loss and, through unspoken agreement, needed time before they could explore it.

But it was always there...waiting.

 _They were going to leave at the end of the week_ , Rick thought as he loaded food from the butler's pantry onto the large silver tray. Michonne had wanted to leave earlier, citing the need to find a community as living alone was too great a risk, but Rick asked her to give them just a couple more days. What difference would a couple of days make?

Michonne relented and they made plans to leave at the end of the week.

And now, as Michonne was scavenging through the last of the outbuildings for supplies to take with them, Rick worked quickly to surprise her with dinner in the formal dining room. They'd never eaten anywhere but outside on the porch or down in the cellar but Rick wanted to do something nice for her on one of their last night's here.

He was glad they had taken the week to get to know each other again, rest, and start the healing process. He knew they would always miss their parents but maybe, just _maybe_ , they'd help each other carve out a life in this mess of a world they found themselves in.

"Son of a bitch, he's alive."

Rick's head swiveled from the large table in the formal dining room to the entrance off of the main hall where three men, three _armed_ men, stood. As he lowered the box of food to the floor, Rick kept his eyes on them in a rapid assessment.

Two adults, one heavyset with a rifle slung over his shoulder and the other medium height and build with a knife sheathed in a belt around his waist. With them was a slim teenager around his age with darting eyes and a nervous twitch. He also had a rifle.

All three of them were caked with dirt and sweat and every instinct he had screamed _fight or flee_.

Please, God, let Michonne take her time coming in from the supply house. _Please_.

The man with the medium build continued to speak, "Sorry to give you a scare kid, we just weren't expecting to see an actual _person_ in here. We've been driving around for days with only lamebrains for company. You're a sight for sore eyes, my friend."

Rick responded with a terse nod, providing no encouragement for them.

Tilting his head at the lack of response, the man stepped forward a step, holding his hand out in greeting. "I'm Dave and that scrawny looking douchebag over there is Tony…."

"Eat me, Dave." The fat, slovenly man retorted, his northern accent matching the man walking towards him.

"Hey maybe someday I will," Dave replied with a shrug. Observing Rick's still form and lack of outstretched hand, Dave stopped and gave him a smile that failed to reach his eyes, confirming Rick's instincts. "The kid hovering by the door is Randall. He's shy."

Rick threw a quick glance over to the teenager and was not reassured by his nervousness and the way his eyes darted back and forth between his companions, as if waiting for something to happen.

 _Fuck._ He knew what these men were. He knew what they had done and would continue to do in a world with no more laws. Taking a deep breath, he forced a small smile as he raised a hand in greeting.

"Rick. Rick Grimes."

 **A/N: Thank you all SO much for your support of this story! I wasn't sure how a ZA story with a teenage Richonne would be received so your reviews have definitely helped! Thank you for indulging me as I focused on Rick and Michonne as characters for the first few chapters before diving into the plot of the story. As you can see by the ending, our quiet time just got a very big wake-up call and things are really going to start moving now! I hope to get the next chapter out more quickly than this one, assuming my real life cooperates, that is. Being a working mom of two teenagers doesn't always allow for a lot of time to write so I appreciate your patience and support!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Now- Mt. Vernon**

"Rick. Rick Grimes."

As Rick held a hand up in greeting, he assumed a relaxed stance and curved his lips into a small smile. He had to work fast to get them out before Michonne came back or everything would go straight to hell.

Three men. Three guns. He didn't like the odds so words would be his weapon of choice for now.

Dave nodded his greeting. "Nice to meet you, Rick Grimes. You live here?"

Gesturing toward the box of food on the floor, he began his tale with a shake of his head. "I was out scouting for food and supplies but that's all I came up with after two hours of scavenging this place."

Dave chuckled but the amusement didn't meet his eyes as they remained empty and dark. "You here all by yourself, Rick? Kind of young to be out here alone, aren't you?"

Before Rick could respond, he saw the large man, Tony, start to slowly walk around the room, touching antique bowls, dishes and paintings, leaving a grimy trail. Randall remained glued to the doorway, a silent audience to the tension building in the room.

Relaxing his stance even more with hands loosely resting on his hips, Rick tilted his head and smiled while keeping all three men in his eyesight. "I'm not alone. My people are in the area scavenging other houses and then we're planning on meeting up." A casual flick of his wrist as he made a show of looking at his watch. "As a matter of fact, I'm about to be late so…."

"Where's your car, Rick?" Dave asked, smile still in place but with less cheer in his tone.

 _He was running out of time_. Crouching, he picked up the box of supplies and slowly walked toward the door. "Parked a half mile or so down the road out of sight. You can never be too careful these days."

"Hold up there, kid." Dave's command was brusque and brooked no argument.

 _Fuck._

Only halfway to the doorway, Rick slowly turned around, careful to keep a placid expression on his face. "Yeah?"

Dave walked a few feet toward him as Tony continued to travel around the room, stopping only when he was directly behind Rick, a fact revealed by the four foot antique mirror hung on the wall behind Dave. Randall stood a few feet from Tony, chewing his thumbnail as he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in this house.

"See…I think you're holed up in this mansion and not being truthful with us which means you're not being a very good host, right Tony?"

"Right."

"So where _are_ your people Rick? All out on this supply run you're talking about? Or are they upstairs in those fancy bedrooms?"

Rick's stomach churned as he quickly determined how the next five minutes would play out. _This_ was the world now, a world with no laws and no heroes coming to your rescue.

Everyone had to be their own hero now.

Forcing an affable smile on his face, Rick put the box of food on the floor and gestured around the room with both hands. "I told you, sir, there's no one here. This place was a bust, just furniture for firewood if you want."

Dave laughed as he took a step closer. "Sir? Listen to you, all polite. Your parents raised you right, Rick, respecting your elders like that. So where are they, your parents?"

And just then, Rick was disgusted to hear the unmistakable sound of urination behind him, confirmed as he glanced in the mirror to witness Tony hunched over against the wall as he relieved himself before joining the conversation.

"Yeah, where are your people Ricky Dicky? You got a big group? Any women? Damn, I haven't had any pussy in weeks."

With a red haze briefly clouding his vision, Rick turned to stare at the large man who had just zipped his pants, and replied in a low rasp. "I told you. I'm _alone_."

As if on cue in some twisted Broadway play, the front door opened and Michonne's excited voice echoed throughout the entryway like a piercing whistle to a pack of hounds.

"Hey Rick, you won't believe what I found out there. I….."

Her voice faded as she stopped dead in her tracks just inside the doorway, a mere foot from Tony.

And in a flash, Rick saw Michonne through their eyes and dread filled his every pore. They would see a young woman, barely beyond a girl really, with slender curves showcased in her tight pants and Henley shirt. They would see their months' worth of entertainment that they would throw to the curb when they were done.

Rage sent heat pouring through his veins and his fingers twitched with the need to act.

Michonne swallowed as she felt the tension surround and smother her and saw the fear in Rick's gaze. Fear that he tried to hide from the intruders but could never hide from her.

They were in imminent danger and her sword was in the cellar next to their backpacks. Thinking fast, Michonne smiled at the three men as she forced composure to replace her fear. "Hi there, sorry about that. We weren't expecting visitors."

Dave chuckled as his gaze moved up and down her body with a proprietary gleam that made Michonne's skin crawl. She knew men like this existed before the end of the world but she had been protected by her father, laws and her own vigilance back then. Now? Her father was gone and laws were a distant memory. As her mind raced in twenty different directions, Dave replied as Tony took a step closer to her.

" _Visitors_? Now your boyfriend here, _Rick_ , told us he was scavenging by himself and was all alone. And there you are, surprising us out of thin air."

Continuing the act, Michonne shook her head as she chuckled at Rick. "Rick, don't you remember we were all going to meet back here? I'm just a few minutes ahead of your dad and Big Mike so we got to get going or we'll miss them."

"I'm done with this _shit_." Tony muttered as he grabbed Michonne by the arm and gestured toward Dave. "Just kill the kid and let's go. We found what we were looking for."

Dave shook his head as he looked over Rick's shoulder at his friend. "No one has to kill anyone, am I right Rick Grimes? We'll just be on our way and you can go back to your scavenging."

Afraid to turn away from Dave whose hand was inches from the gun jammed into his belt, Rick looked into the mirror and saw Michonne try to twist away from Tony. As she finally freed herself, Tony backhanded her while muttering "Stupid bitch" and sent her staggering away from him.

And with that, Rick's mind went dark, as if the lights switched off completely, and he drew his father's service weapon, shooting first at the man in front of him and, without even waiting to see if his headshot rang true, pivoted and blew a hole into the middle of Tony's dirt smeared forehead. Through his rage filled haze, Rick marched over to Tony's prone body and, ignoring the dead eyes staring up at the ceiling, proceeded to empty two more rounds into his prone body, one in the heart and one in the stomach. He would have continued to fire if not for the gentle hand that wrapped around his arm.

A shaking hand. _Michonne's_ hand.

As reality slowly intruded and fought its way through the darkness in his head, Rick turned his gaze from Tony to that of his friend's and willed his breathing to calm as he saw the panic in her large brown eyes.

"It's okay, no one is going to hurt you now."

 _Did that hoarse rasp come from him?_ He sounded a stranger to himself and wondered if he was scaring Michonne as she pulled trembling lips inward.

"Rick, we have to go. The kid….he's gone."

 _Randall_. The twitchy teenager hovering at the door…was no longer there.

" _Fuck_ ," Rick muttered as he sprinted to the door just in time to hear the squeal of tires as the car sped away. Raising his arm, Rick aimed and stopped just before pulling the trigger, realizing the car was too far away to hit.

"Rick, we have to go. _Now_. Before he comes back with his friends."

 _Friends_. Such an innocent term. He and Michonne were friends. Randall's friends? They were murderers and rapists bent on ruining what was left of the world they all lived in.

And with that thought, Rick holstered his weapon and sprinted back into the house, Michonne close on his heels.

As Michonne followed behind Rick, running through the dining room as they headed toward the cellar stairs, she forced herself to look upon the dead men, forced herself to acknowledge the violence that was and would be a part of her life now that the living had to fend for themselves.

These men were only the first in a long line who would wish her harm. Would wish Rick harm. And, as she stared at her friend's back while racing down the cellar stairs to grab their gear, she made an oath to herself that she would never allow Rick to shoulder the burden of keeping her safe again. Theirs was a partnership and she would contribute equally.

Even if her contribution included taking the life of another.

"Grab your backpack and we'll head out the storm door straight ahead. We've got five minutes, maybe less, to take cover in the woods if we have any hope to lose them." Rick said as he threw his large pack over his shoulders and grabbed the duffle bag he had packed earlier with all of the weapons he had scavenged during his time on the road.

"I know the way, follow me," Michonne replied, her voice almost monotone as they both worked on autopilot. Sprinting after her, Rick ran down the short cellar corridor and then up the steps to the door that Michonne threw open to allow them outside.

Without another moment's hesitation, they both ran full stop, all of the belongings they could carry on their backs and shoulders, the mile through the woods until they got to the spot where Rick had concealed the car he'd driven to Mt. Vernon a week earlier.

A minute later, their gear was packed and Rick slammed his foot onto the gas, hell bent on getting as far as possible before Randall could bring his group back.

For the next thirty minutes, the car was silent as neither had the courage to speak of what had just happened. Of the act Rick had been forced to do. The silence was a comfort in a way because it gave them both time to process everything.

After staring out of the window, Michonne finally glanced over at Rick just as he turned white as a ghost. Before she could ask if he was okay, he pulled over to the side of the road and brought the car to a stuttering stop. Throwing open the driver door, Rick bolted out of the car and around the hood before hunching over near the woods surrounding the rural road and throwing up.

Knowing that Rick wouldn't want her hovering, Michonne stayed seated until she saw him stand straight and then quietly exited to lean against the car.

As she watched him wipe at his mouth with the cloth he pulled from his pocket, she noticed the trembling in his hands, trembling caused by the very same event that had made her whole body feel chilled from the inside out.

Her heart broke for both of them.

As Rick turned to get back to the car, he staggered a bit so Michonne gestured for him to come to her on the passenger side, her expression forbidding any argument. His steps slow, Rick looked shaken and pale as he walked toward her. Following her silent direction, Rick sat down on the passenger seat sideways, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands cradling his face.

Crouching in front of him, Michonne hid her concern behind a light touch and calm tone. Placing a bottle of water into one of his hands, she tilted her face to try to meet his gaze.

"You _had_ to do it, Rick. Those men were going to kill us. They had broken into our home and were a threat to us. You would have been justified back when there _were_ laws. You're more than justified now."

A silent rapid shake of his head was Rick's only response as he stared down at the ground, water bottle unopened, so Michonne continued.

"Rick, _listen_ to me. They were very bad men who were going to continue to hurt people, _innocent_ people, until someone stopped them and that's what you did. Please don't feel guilty about that."

With her words, Rick raised his gaze to meet hers and Michonne was taken aback by the emotion she saw in his eyes. It wasn't guilt or fear like she'd thought.

It was rage.

"You think I feel _guilty_ for killing those animals?" he growled. "Those men were going to _use_ you after killing me and then they were going to kill you when they were done. I would kill them _twenty times_ over if it meant keeping you safe."

Taken aback by the almost feral gleam in Rick's gaze, Michonne sat back on her heels and tried to process everything he'd just said. It didn't add up.

"So if you're not upset about killing those men, why did you get sick?"

His fingers fiddling with the water bottle in his hands, Rick stared into the dense forest in front of him while he tried to come up with a response that would reassure Michonne without outright lying to her.

While her opinion of him meant a great deal, her well-being meant even more so his response would be one of brutal honesty in order to ensure her eyes were as wide open as his.

"I got sick thinking what could have happened if my Dad hadn't taught me to shoot. I got sick thinking what could have happened if those men took you and you were alone with no one to help you. I got sick thinking about just how many more people like them are out there now…. _hunting_ ….and how many more people like that will rise up in this fucked up world."

Her eyes blurred with tears, Michonne rested both of her hands on Rick's knee and squeezed her support, words failing her.

Rick could have stopped there but he had to get it all out.

"Michonne, it's only been _three_ months and we're already fugitives from bad people who are _everywhere_ and who are just waiting for us to let our guard down."

Needing to move, Rick stood up and paced along the side of the car, a frenzied sort of energy pulsing through his body.

"So instead of going to college to learn how to save lives and _heal_ ," the last word spat out as a curse, "I've just killed two men without thought and without remorse and, instead of going to college to learn how to build bridges and skyscrapers, you're gonna have to learn to kill too."

 _Oh Rick._ Michonne knew that he felt remorse for killing those men and that was part of the reason he was so upset but he buried it beneath anger in order to keep going.

But she'd be damned if he shouldered the burdens of survival alone.

Walking quickly toward him, Michonne didn't stop until she was less than a foot away, close enough so she had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. Clasping his hand in one of hers, she gave it a reassuring squeeze and was relieved to hear his shuddering sigh as he calmed.

 _Stay with me G, I've got you._

"Thank you for doing what you did back there," Michonne said with a gentle smile, shaking her head with a 'Hush' when Rick was about to speak. "My turn to speak, your turn to listen." After his resigned nod, she continued. "Yes, our world is different now. Our parents are gone…" Michonne closed her eyes briefly as she gathered strength from their memory instead of grief, "but we're _not_. We're alive and we've _found_ each other. So no matter what this…what did you call it…no matter what this _fucked up world_ has to throw at us, we'll handle it 'cuz that's _what we do_ , understand?"

Rick nodded, his blurred gaze starting to clear as he came back to her.

"We're smart and we learn fast so we take what we learned today and we _use_ it."

Rick almost smiled, the confident tone Michonne used bringing him comfort in its familiarity.

"We learned that we can't stay in one place too long and we also learned that we _can_ defend ourselves if we need to." Letting go of Rick's hand, Michonne reached down and pulled out the knife from the sheathe strapped around her leg. "See this? I had this in my hand as I was getting back up from the floor and I had _every_ intention of sticking it into that asshole."

 _She had always lifted him up….and she always would_. Those words swirled around Rick's mind as Michonne's voice, her words, and the certainty in her eyes brought him back from the darkness he had retreated to. Looking down at the knife she held in a firm grasp, Rick nodded, knowing that she would have fought hard against her attacker, even if it meant killing him.

And, with a sigh, Rick closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "You would have. And you _will_ when the time comes."

Michonne replied with a nod as she sheathed her knife. "I will."

Rick slowly drew his hand up to cup her shoulder and give it squeeze. "Thank you for understanding all of this."

Without hesitation, Michonne covered Rick's hand with her own and smiled up at him, glad that they had overcome this latest challenge together. "You got it." After a long minute of shared silence and comfort, Michonne stepped back with a brusque nod. "Now let's get back on the road and put more miles between us and them, okay?" At Rick's nod, she held out her hand. "And I'm driving."

Raising his eyebrow, Rick turned over the keys with a drawled, 'Yes, Ma'am,' and took his place in the passenger seat.

Michonne grinned as she jangled the keys in her hand. "Now I can show off my mad skills that I picked up in Tokyo."

Rick looked up at her with a crooked smile. "Why am I suddenly really scared?"

Closing Rick's door with a flourish, Michonne peered into his open window and with a sassy grin replied, "Don't worry, G, I'll be gentle."

Ignoring the bolt of heat that shot through him at her words, Rick simply chuckled and relaxed into his seat, happy to cede control over to his very capable friend.

 _It was going to be okay. He was alive. Michonne was alive. They'd figure the rest out later._

A half hour later, Michonne laid a hand across her flat stomach. "I'm starving…we've got to find food."

Turning his head toward her as it rested against the seat, Rick said with chagrin in his voice, "There's a whole box of food waiting for us back at Mt. Vernon. I was gonna surprise you with a nice dinner on our last night there."

Michonne lifted her hand to her heart with a squeal. "That is so sweet. What were you going to serve?"

Maneuvering within his seat belt to allow him to turn fully towards Michonne, Rick answered with grin, "I was gonna start with an appetizer of canned pears displayed on 300 year old china."

"Impressive, then what?"

"Then move onto the soup course with your favorite."

Michonne sighed dramatically, happy to play along. "Ramen Noodles?"

Grinning, Rick nodded. "Then the main course of cured ham, sliced cucumbers and Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese served on _250_ year old china."

"Be still my heart."

And then, finally, dessert."

When Rick was silent for too long, Michonne looked over to find him staring out of his window, his joking demeanor gone.

"What was for dessert?"

Slowly turning toward Michonne, Rick gave her a small smile but the light had dimmed in his eyes. "I was going to surprise you with something I'd found earlier that day in the manager's office."

"What?"

"A jumbo size Big Cat bar."

"No way! That's my…."

"Favorite. I know. That's why I couldn't wait to surprise you with it for dessert."

And with that, they both suddenly thought of the reason or _reasons_ why they weren't sitting across an antique dining room table sharing a giant candy bar while planning out the rest of their lives.

Death would always be around them in one way or another. They just had to make sure it didn't _catch_ them.

After a few minutes of silence, with the two of them lost in their thoughts, Rick declared that they would search the next town they came to for food and water.

Twenty minutes later, Michonne pulled their car behind the post office at the edge of town and exited quietly and quickly, sword slung over her shoulder as Rick reached into the back seat to remove his large hunting knife and then joined her on the sidewalk.

"It's still daylight so let's stick to the backs of the buildings and the alleyways in between, okay?"

"Got it." Michonne replied, excited because this was the first run she and Rick had been on together as Mt. Vernon had had plenty of supplies for the week since they'd reunited. She wanted to show him that she would be a _partner_ out here on the road and not a burden.

After walking past a couple of burnt out buildings, Michonne spotted a small grocery store and immediately pointed it out to Rick. "Let's go check it out. We're in the middle of Nowhere-ville so maybe it hasn't been totally picked over."

Nodding his agreement, Rick followed Michonne as they kept to the shadows of the buildings and stopped at the doors of the store. "It's all boarded up so we don't know if there are any walkers in there."

Michonne rolled her eyes as she nudged Rick with her elbow on her way to the large window at the front of the store. "Amateur. They respond to noise so all we have to do is ring the dinner bell and they'll come running….well….you know what I mean." And with that, she lifted her fist and gave the plank of wood three loud knocks then waited.

He'd forgotten she'd been on her own for more than a month after her father died, Rick thought as he heard the moans from inside. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from her. The thought made him smile as he gripped his hunting knife.

It seemed he'd been learning from Michonne for his whole life as she had always been a step or two ahead of him.

"Sounds like a pretty small group, maybe four or five," Michonne stated as she moved away from the store to stand in the street.

"Four or five is small?" Rick asked as he walked toward the door and reached for the handle.

Michonne shrugged while unsheathing her sword. "There's two of us. We can handle them."

His hand still on the door handle, Rick admired the sight of Michonne standing with her feet shoulder width apart, her weapon held in front of her and the setting sun casting a muted orange light over her.

Rick was certain he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Shaking his head to clear his distracting thoughts, Rick asked one final 'ready?' then, upon her terse nod, threw open the door and quickly backed away, purposefully giving Michonne room to maneuver.

Within seconds, the walkers poured out of the door, their moans louder in the open air and their rotted flesh hanging loosely from their faces. After the events of the day, Rick was almost grateful to take the remainder of his anger out on the dead and took out two in quick succession with his knife. As he waited for the third to make its way toward him, he looked over at Michonne and watched as she decapitated one walker and then pivot in a flash to impale a second through the skull. She moved so fast and with such confidence, he wondered just how many of them she'd killed since the turn.

Hearing the moan almost in his ear, Rick turned to stab the attacking walker through the eye and then, spotting a straggler exiting the store, ran up to it and drove his knife into its soft skull. When his initial blow didn't immediately kill the walker and it kept reaching for him, he kicked it in the midsection with his boot to send it sprawling and then finished it off with a stab into its eye.

 _Oh my,_ Michonne thought as she watched Rick take down that last walker. Resisting the urge to fan herself, she instead shook her sword clean of gore and blood but kept it out, just in case there were any more of the dead lingering in the store.

After shoving the limp body of the last walker away from the door, Rick wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and Michonne's fingers twitched with the need to comb the messy curls off his forehead.

 _Were they as soft as they looked?_

Shaking her head at her highly inappropriate and poorly timed thoughts, Michonne followed Rick into the store while giving herself a stern lecture about staying focused.

Her rumbling stomach reminded her of the reason they were here so it made it easier.

After fifteen minutes of searching every inch of the store, they came away with a small stash of pretzels, a couple bags of almonds and graham crackers. It wasn't a feast but it would do. By the time they exited the store again, they were greeted by darkness as the sun had fully set.

Ten minutes later, Rick was behind the wheel as they headed to Springfield, a larger city that provided more cover, and Michonne kept an eye out for roadblocks or threats of any kind. After determining they were clear for a bit, she relaxed and turned to Rick, putting out the request she'd wanted to all day.

"I want you to teach me to shoot."

Rick nodded as he slid her a quick glance. "Absolutely. It's something I should have done when we were at Mt. Vernon but didn't think of it because it seemed so safe there."

Michonne sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Thinking back on it, it was risky staying at a famous house like that. I can't believe other people didn't find their way there sooner."

Gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, Rick turned to Michonne. "Those assholes were _animals_ , not people. They're _no one_ , you got it? Just nameless pricks who picked the wrong hunting ground."

After reassuring herself that the steering wheel wouldn't collapse beneath Rick's ironclad grip, Michonne leaned her back against her door, needing to face Rick fully while saying what she had to say.

"Listen to me. There are men like that _all over_ the place now. Hell, there are _women_ like that too. Who do you think is alive at this point?" Not waiting for an answer, Michonne continued, needing to verbalize the cold wash of reality that had been stewing in her brain for too long.

"It's not the innocent, the gentle, the _kind_ ones. At least they're not the majority. It's _bad_ people who have just been given the go ahead by Mother Nature or Uncle Science or whatever fucked up algorithm the universe cursed our planet with. _They're_ the ones who are thriving because they can steal, hurt and kill with free reign. So, yeah, we're gonna come across _people_ who will look at us as nothing more than fresh meat."

"Jesus Christ, Miche…."

"I'm speaking truths, here, and it ain't pretty. Our parents raised us to be honest with ourselves and each other, right? So that's what I'm doing here."

" _We're_ good guys. At least for now, we are." Rick replied, needing the affirmation that he was in a different category from the two men he had put down earlier that day.

Michonne leaned over and laid her hand on Rick's arm, needing that connection to make her point, a point she very much needed Rick to hear.

"We _are_ good guys. And we're going to _stay_ good because the good guys always win, right?" At Rick's hesitant nod, Michonne continued. "The way I see it, the only way we survive this thing is to find some _other_ good guys and then some more and some more after that, until there is enough of us to start fighting all the assholes."

Rick knew what she was doing with her speech and it made his lips curve into a small smile.

She was trying to tell him that they were a team and they were going to beat this. _Together_.

"You got this all figured out, haven't you?" he drawled, relieved to return to a somewhat normal conversation.

Whatever stood for _normal_ these days, that is.

Making a show of crossing her arms across her waist and giving her head a quick wag, Michonne replied with enough sass to pull a grin from Rick as they made their way down a deserted highway, "If I can figure out how to get a perfect math score on the SAT's, I can _certainly_ figure out how to navigate the end of the world." Then with a dramatic huff that added a laugh to Rick's grin, she finished. "Jeez…have some faith, will ya?"

And with that, they spent the rest of their ride to Springfield comparing notes on college entrance exams and anything and everything but the horror of the world outside of their car.

The world they would get to soon enough.

The next morning, after having taken shelter in an abandoned apartment building on the outskirts of Springfield, Rick and Michonne had decided to keep heading south to put more distance between them and the threat they left back in D.C. They both knew that the chances of that larger group being able to track an automobile were slim to none, but it just felt better to keep going.

After about ten miles, the car died, leaving them alone on an empty stretch of road with no cars or buildings in sight.

Knowing that crying or shaking her fist to the heavens would do nothing but drain her energy, Michonne grabbed her sword from the front seat and opened the back door. "Let's grab what we can and cut through the woods. We'll be better camouflaged that way."

Rick nodded, appreciating how she remained calm and collected under dire circumstances. Most kids their age would be freaking out by now. Hell, most _adults_ would be. But not Michonne. Nope, she kept moving forward and would continue to do so until they'd arrived at their destination.

Wherever that destination ended up being.

Five minutes later, their large backpacks hoisted onto their backs and the duffle bag filled with weapons slung across Rick's shoulder, they made their way through the woods, following Rick's compass and continuing south.

"Damn, I wish I had my bow with me. These woods have got to be filled with rabbit and deer with so many people gone. We could have protein for weeks with just a couple of shots."

Michonne shifted the weight of her backpack as she made her way around roots and fallen branches. "Bow and arrow huh? I forgot your Dad taught you that one as well. You guys were really into that survivalist stuff."

Grief made a brief appearance at Michonne's words and he indulged it for a minute before tucking it away for a time when he could give it the attention it deserved.

"Yeah, guns, bows and snares. I learned them all. Making fires without a match too. Oh, and I can rig up a hammock in a tree if we need one."

Michonne stopped and turned to Rick with wide eyes, her hand placed dramatically over her heart. "Well, aren't you a regular Bear Grylls! I guess I really hit the jackpot reuniting with you, didn't I?"

Rick rolled his eyes and pointed to the katana slung over her back. "I think you would have managed without me."

"Oh I'd be fine as long as long as there were empty houses with endless supplies of food and the temperatures never dipped below 50. Other than that? Helpless as a baby."

With that, the memory of her being flung to the ground by a man twice her size flashed before him and he remembered the promise he made to himself and to her the night before.

She would never be in a position of weakness again. _Never_.

Looking around to make certain their immediate area was clear, Rick put down his duffle and removed his backpack then gestured for Michonne to do the same.

"I've got a gun for you," he said as he searched the bag until he found what he wanted. Standing up, he held his hand out with the gun resting in his palm. "It's a 9mm Glock. Semi-automatic. Good accuracy in close quarters and you got 15 rounds in a magazine. You run into trouble like we did last night and this will do the job."

Staring down at the gun in Rick's hand, Michonne's heart began to race as it reminded her just how real the threats were in this world and that, sooner or later, she'd have to take a life to spare hers or Rick's. She'd been anti-gun her whole life and had teased Rick when they were kids about his hunting. But now? Now a gun was worth more than gold.

Holding her hand out, she gingerly took the weapon from Rick and was surprised at how light it was compared to her sword. Fifteen rounds. Fifteen people injured or dead in a weapon that weighed ounces instead of pounds.

The power in something so small both frightened and humbled her.

Looking up at Rick, her gaze mirroring his seriousness, she spoke in shorthand, knowing he'd understand. "Show me everything."

And he did. He patiently showed her how to load and unload the weapon, how the safety worked and then demonstrated the proper grip. As the minutes flew by, Michonne began to look at the weapon as more than just its use, but also as a machine made of intricate parts and constructed carefully and with precision in order to do the job it was meant to do.

The engineer in her appreciated its construction as much as the survivor in her accepted its place in her life now.

After Rick was done demonstrating, he gave the gun back to her, unloaded, and watched as she mimicked his stance and grip. With a narrowed gaze, he made certain she did everything correctly and then closed the distance between them when he saw the need for adjustment.

His mind solely focused on making sure she became competent with the weapon as quickly as possible, he thought nothing of cupping her elbow with his hand to raise her arms into the proper aiming level.

"Keep your arms up like this and your elbows cocked so you give your grip support. _Good_. Now aim for the trunk of the tree over there," he directed as he pointed to the trunk ten feet away. Still not completely satisfied, Rick moved to stand directly behind her, focused on instruction.

And, as he wrapped his arms around her narrow back and gently adjusted her arms for a more accurate shot, it hit him all at once.

His entire body was pressed up against hers and he….. _surrounded_ her. _Enveloped_ her in his arms with such ease that he wondered how he even functioned with her more than a foot away. He closed his eyes briefly as he imagined his hands slowly sliding up her slender, strong arms in a caress that ended with a brush against her beautiful, long neck as he moved her locs aside to clear the way for his mouth to….

"I think I've got it now, Rick."

Michonne's voice, husky and almost a whisper, jolted Rick back to the present and he quickly let go and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck, his _flushed_ neck, and trying like hell to find normal again.

As Michonne squinted one eye to clear her aim, she willed her heart to stop racing but it was having none of that. Oh no way, no how. As she pulled the trigger again and again, she barely registered the click over the pounding of her heart. She had needed Rick to step away because one more second practically wrapped in his arms and she was going to do something that would most likely embarrass them both.

It was pure craziness, these feelings rioting through her. Feelings that were _not_ welcome at this time, not welcome at _any_ time as they would threaten the comfort and stability of having her best friend at her side as she found her way.

Rick interrupted her panicked musings as he held the magazine in front of her, his voice a quiet rasp in her ear. "Okay, you're good. Now show me that you can load the weapon."

Good. She had something to do, something _mechanical_. There were few things less romantic than loading a semi-automatic pistol, right?

Wrong.

As she took the magazine from Rick, their fingers brushed and she felt a shock of awareness send warmth throughout her body. When he stayed close to her as her hand and fingers slid and opened and slid _again_ , every movement, coupled with their mingled breaths, became erotically charged and she felt coiled like a tight spring.

Did he just take a step _closer_? Her eyes trained on the broad chest in front of her, the devil on Michonne's shoulder gave her a nudge and, with the now loaded weapon in her hand, she arched her back while moving her arm behind her. "Right inside the waistband, right?" she whispered, almost smiling as she heard his intake of breath.

"Yeah, just make sure the safety's on."

"It is."

"Good."

And with that, they had no reason to stand so close, their business having been concluded, yet their bodies were perfectly content being only an inch apart.

An inch that was so damn easy to close.

"Get away from me! Goddammit, go _away_!"

The spell broken by a faint cry in the distance, Michonne and Rick backed away from each other and both turned toward it.

And then they heard the moans.

Turning to Rick, Michonne said, "She's in trouble. We have to help her."

Still recovering from whatever was happening between them a moment ago, Rick played catch up and ran a hand through his hair, tense at the thought of dealing with outsiders again.

"We stay hidden until we can scope things out, okay?"

"Okay."

Hoisting their belongings onto their backs, they both ran towards the voice that was growing increasingly alarmed.

After stopping behind nearby trees, they observed a woman in her late thirties crouched on the top of a boulder surrounded by walkers, nine of them by Rick's count. She was trying to beat them back with the butt of her rifle, most likely empty of ammunition. After a slow scan of the nearby area, Rick determined the woman was alone and turned to nod at Michonne but she had already left her backpack on the ground and was running toward the boulder, sword held high overhead.

"Shit," he muttered as he did the same then sprinted after her.

Rick slashed through the skulls of the two walkers closest to him, keeping Michonne in his sight line as she decapitated and impaled the walkers next to her. After making short work of the ones on their near side, they worked together to put down the rest, using their shoulders and bodies to shove away the ones that got to close.

In less than three minutes, nine walkers lay dead on the ground around the boulder and Rick and Michonne looked up in tandem at the woman perched above them.

The woman who looked at them with wide eyes and open mouth as if she'd seen something for the very first time.

"Holy shit, that was amazing. Thank you so much!" she exclaimed as Rick helped her down to the ground, his hand near his gun if needed.

"Are you okay?" Michonne asked as she put her sword back in its sheathe.

"Yeah, yeah, they didn't get me. It was close though." Sticking her hand out, she introduced herself with a relieved, tired smile. "Name's Kate. Thank you for saving my life."

Looking at the hand for several long moments, Rick made a decision and shook it, then watched as Michonne did the same.

"I'm Michonne and this is Rick."

Kate nodded and looked over their shoulders. "Are your parents with you?"

Tensing at the question, Rick growled, "That's none of your business…..We…"

"Rick, it's okay. _She's_ okay." Michonne stopped him with a hand on his arm, her gaze telling him that the woman passed her bullshit meter.

With a sigh, Rick gestured for Michonne to continue as he kept his hand on his gun and his eyes peeled for intruders.

"It's just the two of us. But we're looking for more people."

Kate nodded. "That's smart. I'm living with a community not far from here and was on a run with a few others when I got separated. It was my fault, I missed the rendezvous time and they took off without me."

Michonne's brows drew together over her eyes. "They abandoned you out here?"

Kate quickly shook her head. "No, no, I have my own car, they just didn't stick around, that's all. I was taking a shortcut through the woods when I ran into the dead and got blocked in. I would have shot them but had no ammo."

Michonne nodded as she took a moment or two to stare the woman down while taking her measure.

Was she telling the truth? Was she one of the good guys?

Or was this all a trap laid to catch prey?

Turning her head, Michonne looked over at Rick just in time to see him also analyzing the woman and the situation they were in. Finally, his gaze met hers and he gave a short nod.

Alright then. Leap of faith time it was.

"Is your community taking in new people?" Michonne asked in a tone that sounded more confident than she felt.

Kate smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, we have plenty of room. Everyone has to earn their keep, of course, but you two have already shown me that you'll be able to do that and then some. I can't believe you can do all _that_ ….." she gestured to the carnage on the ground. "….at such a young age. What are you? 17? 18?"

Michonne bent down to pick up her backpack. "We're both 18 but mature for our ages."

Kate stared at them both with another wide eyed gaze, looking as if she had just seen Superman swoop down from the sky. "Sure, _mature_ …got it. Okay, then, let's get going. My community is only like twenty minutes from here by car so we'll be there in no time."

And with that, she turned and marched down the path in a slightly more westerly direction than Rick and Michonne were originally going but it was still heading away from D.C. so Michonne was fine with it.

Ten minutes later, they stood next to the woman's Outback that was filled to the roof with supplies.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I forgot I hit the jackpot in the last town. I could make room for your bags in the back but you're going to have to share the passenger seat up front, I'm afraid. Is that okay?"

Was it okay to sit on her friend's lap for twenty minutes or more as the car traveled over bumpy terrain? Was it okay to have his warm breath in her ear and his hands resting on her thighs?

Good lord, have mercy on her soul.

While she was rendered mute, Rick spoke for both of them in a rasp that was huskier than normal.

"That's fine, let's just go."

Taking a deep breath, Michonne resolved to play it casual since whatever Rick could do, she could do too. That had been their mantra since they were ten years old.

 _Ten years old. My, how innocent they had been._

Within a few minutes their belongings were packed in the back except for the gun Michonne kept in her waistband and the gun holstered at Rick's hip. Rick opened the front passenger door and, without even a glance her way, climbed in, leaving her to follow.

Well, if he can be Mr. Oh So Casual about this soon to be intimate moment, I can be too, dammit, Michonne thought as she took in a deep breath and maneuvered her way into the car.

Avoiding eye contact, Michonne shifted so that she sat sideways on Rick's lap, allowing access to the gun resting against her back. A moment later, Kate started the car and they were off.

Off on a road filled with potholes that caused Michonne to bounce up and down way more than she should.

 _Walkers and blood. Walkers and gore. Walkers and_ …..Christ, it's not working….Shit, shit, _shit_ …Rick thought as his forced visions of the least sexual things he could think of faded away, leaving only the sensation of Michonne's perfectly formed ass grinding against his dick for another….a quick check of his watch…eighteen and a half minutes.

Not only did he have her ass to contend with, her sideways position on his lap allowed for the other most interesting part of her body to rub against his chest.

And with that, his body won the battle with his mind with the unstoppable physiological reaction that a healthy straight male would have when a beautiful, brilliant, completely perfect female was pressed against and _on_ him.

Well, as his mom always said, if you can't avoid it…. _own_ it. So own it he would.

When Michonne turned to him with wide eyes and a rapid expulsion of breath, Rick leaned in and whispered unapologetically, "I ain't dead."

Swallowing, Michonne rapidly nodded her agreement as she shifted her position yet again.

Christ. _Fifteen minutes to go._

After the longest ride…. _wrong word_ …trip in the history of trips, they finally arrived to the gates of Kate's community and Rick and Michonne quickly exited the car, faces flushed and breathing ragged. Distracting themselves with the retrieval of their belongings and making certain their sword and knife were in place for use if needed, they finally felt more like themselves as Kate came around the car to stand in front of them.

"As you can see, we're surrounded by a sturdy fence to keep the dead out and we have families living here, including children and young people your age. It's safe, I promise."

Rick and Michonne simply nodded, their bodies tense and on high alert in preparation of meeting more new people.

After Kate unlocked the gate and they entered the courtyard, several people came out of the large building in front them. Two tall men and woman of medium height and build. One of the men, dressed in loose khaki's and a loud Hawaiian shirt with disheveled dark hair flopping over one eye, outpaced the other two and walked quickly toward them with a grin.

"Looks like you brought some company, Kate!" And, as he drew up to stand right in front of them, Michonne and Rick relaxed at his friendly and completely harmless demeanor.

He looked like a Middle School math teacher, not some evil leader bent on murder.

As Michonne and Rick glanced at each other, their gazes said what they wouldn't say out loud. They had found their community and would be safe now.

Kate broke the silence with her introduction. "This is Michonne and Rick and they saved me from the dead. Took out nine of them with a sword and a knife."

The man grinned and rubbed his hands together. "That's awesome! Welcome, kids, I'm Negan and this is The Sanctuary."

 **Then – Age 12**

As Rick cast his fishing line, he asked the question he'd wanted to since attending Mrs. Payton's funeral two days ago and had felt unable to help Michonne with her grief.

There was just so much he didn't know.

"Dad, what happens after we die?"

Moving his gaze from watching the sun rise over the small lake to his son's, the older man was quiet for about a minute before responding. "That's a question without a definitive answer, son. It's something everyone has to figure out for themselves." Tilting his head at Rick's frustrated sigh, he continued in a gentle tone.

"I can tell you what I think and you can work with that for now…until you come to your own conclusions, okay?"

Rick quickly agreed with a nod, anxious to get answers, _any_ answers.

"I firmly believe, and this is what helped me with your Grandma and Grandpa's passing, that our loved ones live on through us….through our love for them and our memory of them. As long as we think of them, they're here with us. Does that make sense?"

As Rick nodded, his vision blurred with emotion as he allowed his own grief for Mrs. Payton's death to reveal itself.

"If we live our lives right, we can also pass along our best gifts to those we love. When Michonne's mama died, the pain in her body went away and the best parts of herself were passed onto her daughter."

Rick tilted his head in question. "Like what?"

Giving a brief glance to the pinks and oranges of the sunrise, never able to resist the gift each morning brought, he answered, "Her love for life, her joyousness, her intelligence…they've all been passed to Michonne and, hopefully, Michonne will pass those gifts to _her_ children. That's how we keep living even after we're gone."

Rick nodded, appreciating the logic behind the sentiment. With a deep intake of breath, Rick sat up straight in his seat on the boat and looked his father in the eye for a long moment before asking, "What will you pass onto me when you die?"

Resisting the urge to pull his son into a comforting hug, he replied the best way he could, from the heart and with complete honesty. "If I've done my job right, I will have passed onto you the ability to know right from wrong, to be a good and loyal friend to those deserving and….

"And what Dad?"

"And to make this world a better place for having you in it."

Rick gave his Dad a small smile of gratitude, appreciating how they didn't need a lot of words between them to understand each other. As soon as they were done fishing, he would go visit Michonne and would share with her what he learned today and he hoped it would help her.

After recasting his line, Rick looked over at his Dad, still a young man in his thirties, and made a promise to himself that, many years from now, he would hold the gifts his parents passed down to him close and always be man who deserved their love.

 **A/N: I know many of you are thinking…Whaaaaa?...after my introduction of Negan. Keep in mind that we're only a few months into the apocalypse so a lot can still happen (wink, wink). For now, sit back and enjoy as I introduce you to Rick and Michonne's new home where you might recognize some familiar faces! As always, thank you for your support of my story!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Now- The Sanctuary**

 _Sanctuary?_ Kind of a cheesy name but, at this point, Rick didn't care if it was called Valhalla as long as he and Michonne were safe. Returning Negan's greeting with a perfunctory smile and nod, Rick held out his hand as manners dictated. "Nice to meet you, Sir."

Negan laughed and looked over his shoulder at the tall man behind him. "Hear that Simon? That's what they call _manners_."

Simon responded with a silent nod and the smallest of smiles, telling Rick he was the more cautious of the two in welcoming newcomers.

After greeting Michonne, Negan gestured to the woman standing on this other side. "Rick and Michonne, this is Annie and she's sort of our designated tour guide and concierge who'll help you get your bearings."

Returning Annie's wave with a quick one of his own, Rick relaxed just a fraction at her friendly smile. Meeting Michonne's gaze, he saw that she had come to the conclusion.

So far so good.

"Now we do have to observe a little protocol before we let you venture too far into our home but I'm sure you two understand. We need to be careful these days, right?"

Rick's brows drew together. "Protocol?"

Negan waved them forward with another grin. "Just a quick chat in my office so we can make sure we're a good fit for each other. It'll be painless, I promise."

He was going to _interview_ them?

Keeping pace with Michonne as they followed Negan and the others, Rick slid his gaze to meet hers and replied to the question in her eyes with a shrug. If things turned weird, they would simply bail and run again until they found a better deal.

Once entering the main doorway, Kate thanked them again for saving her and then walked away with Annie, who told them she'd see them when they were done.

Negan opened the door immediately to the left of the main entrance and threw another cheerful smile their way. "You can leave your backpacks and weapons right outside the door and Simon will keep an eye on them for you."

Just as Rick was about to refuse in no uncertain terms, Michonne light touch on his forearm kept him quiet as he let her negotiate.

She'd always been the more diplomatic of the two of them after all.

Shifting the backpack so it rested more comfortably on her shoulders, Michonne replied calmly and with a friendly smile. "We'd really appreciate it if we could keep them close as we just met you and are being cautious, that's all. We just need a little bit longer to build our trust. I'm sure you understand?"

Negan tilted his head as he considered Michonne's plea, the amusement in his gaze slowly replaced by respect. While his eyes stayed on the new visitors, his words were for Simon. "Give us some space, will you, Simon? The kids and I are going to chat for a few minutes. I'll let you know if you're needed."

Simon shook his head. "Negan, we don't even know them and they're armed. You can't…."

As the smile left Negan's face, Rick got a peek at the hardness that lay just beneath the surface and was grateful the flat, dark stare was leveled at the tall man behind him and not him or Michonne.

"I _can't_ , Simon? I can't do what? Make a decision as _leader_ of this place to meet in my office with two teenagers? I need you to babysit, hmmm?"

"I didn't say that….I…"

Negan held up a hand and Simon immediately quieted. Rick didn't need to turn around to know that the lieutenant was going to leave without uttering another word. And, seconds later, he was proven correct as the thud of boots echoed down the corridor.

With a clap of his hands, Negan entered his office and gestured for them to follow. "Sorry about that. Simon's my older cousin and it's hard for him to break the habit of always trying to look out for me. Have a seat, make yourselves comfortable."

They were _related_? As he and Michonne sat in the chairs across from the large metal desk, Rick tried to reconcile the tall, gangly man with graying hair and a perpetual scowl being the cousin of the mild mannered, gregarious man in front of them.

Maybe they were _distant_ cousins.

 _He's harder than he lets on_. There's more to him than the 'friendly neighbor at the barbeque' image he projects, Michonne thought as she perched on the edge of her chair, sword and sheathe resting against her leg.

She and Rick would tread carefully with no assumptions and eyes wide open.

Their lives may depend on it.

Leaning back in his leather chair, Negan flipped through some pages on a legal pad until he found a blank one and then picked up a pen and wrote what looked like her name and Rick's as well as the date.

 _This really was an interview wasn't it?_

"I've got some basic questions to start out with for our records, okay?"

Two silent nods and Negan continued.

"Full names and birthdates please."

 _Seriously? End of the world and he's the county clerk?_ Swallowing a sigh, Michonne answered first, just wanting this interview over with. "Michonne Marie Payton, June 15, 1992."

More scribbling as Negan took down the information. Without looking up, he continued. "And you young man?"

"Richard James Grimes. February 8, 1992."

After writing that down, Negan proceeded to ask them for their highest level of education, what sports they played, job experience as well as any unique skills they had that would be valuable to the community.

Rick and Michonne shared all of the innocuous details of their talents, including Rick's knowledge of medicine and Michonne's engineering background, their running abilities and Rick's survivalist skills.

Neither one brought up their skills with their weapons in an unspoken agreement to keep the element of surprise in their back pockets just in case.

Negan wrote down more notes, nodding and murmuring to himself, giving all indication that he liked what he was hearing. Leaning back in his chair once again, he smiled at them both before throwing the curveball he'd been holding on to for the whole interview.

"Last question and it's an important one. Would you be willing to die to defend this place if you ended up settling here and making it your home?"

Taken aback at first by the presumption of that question, Michonne quickly recovered as she realized what Negan was driving at. He wasn't going to open his community to leeches who wanted the safety net of a larger group without committing to putting the greater good before their own lives.

There was only one answer and Michonne knew that Negan wanted the pledge more than a sound bite. After a quick glance at Rick told her he had a similar reaction, Michonne leaned forward and looked Negan straight in the eye as she responded with complete honesty.

"I made a decision after losing my father to _choose life_ for as long as I possibly can and I know that in order to live, I will have to fight and, yes, kill. There is no place to hide from this nightmare, no closet deep enough, no walls strong enough to protect us. Without the willingnessto fight to your last breath, we have nothing."

Realizing her passionate speech had not only stunned Negan into silence but also Rick, Michonne felt her face warm with embarrassment and she took a moment to compose herself before finishing with "Yes, I would be willing to sacrifice myself to protect the greater good. You have my word."

 _This fucked up world doesn't deserve her_ , Rick thought as his heart warmed with admiration for the woman Michonne had grown into. She had always been smart and an 'old soul' as her mama use to call her but this….this was a whole other level of amazing and he felt honored that she called him friend.

He was going to work like hell to catch up and knew that he might spend a lifetime trying to do just that.

Surprisingly, that didn't bother him in the least.

" _Very_ impressive young lady…and I believe you." Negan turned to Rick with a grin. "I'm not expecting you to top that, Rick, but would still like to hear what you have to say."

Rick's dad had always been a man of few words so it felt right to honor that memory with his response. "Once I call this place home, your people will be my people and I will be loyal and I will protect and defend to my last breath. But I'm sure as hell hoping it doesn't come to that."

Negan laughed in response. "Me too, kid, me too."

Sliding his gaze to Michonne, he found her smiling at him in approval. Stopping himself from puffing out his chest just in the nick of time, Rick felt his cheeks warm with the realization that his self-worth was largely dictated by the opinion of one Michonne Payton.

As it had been since he was just a kid.

A few minutes later, Negan handed them over to Annie. "Annie will take it from here and show you around, let you know how things work and then you can decide whether you want to stay or not." Walking back into his office, Negan turned with his hand on the door and, with yet another smile said, "I hope you decide to stay. The Sanctuary would be lucky to have you both." And with a quick wave, he closed the door.

"Well, you two must have really impressed him. He's usually a lot tougher on letting new residents in," Annie said as she gestured for them to follow her down the long corridor to the center of the building. "Then again, you're still kids and he has a real soft spot for young people."

Michonne turned to Rick with a raised brow and, at his shrug, asked, "Has he taken in a lot of kids?"

Annie nodded. "After our original group founded this place and settled in, he made it his mission to save as many orphans as he could. He said he wanted to 'fill this place with the sound of kids' laughter.' In the last month alone, we've taken in four children and the month before that, two young people around your age, maybe a year or so older."

"All orphans?" Michonne asked as they entered a huge room in the center of the building, lit by ten foot high windows that let in the mid-afternoon sun.

"Out of the four young ones, only one is confirmed while the others still have some hope that their parents will be coming for them." As Annie stopped and turned to them, her compassionate gaze told Rick and Michonne that she believed all of the children were orphans in truth.

Shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts, Annie turned to point to the room before them. "This is our work area, where we make, repair, clean and recycle what we need to keep the community operating and functional." Annie once again started walking and Rick and Michonne followed, their gazes taking it all in.

And it was a lot to take in.

At least two dozen people filled the room with chatter as supplies were unpacked, inventoried and stored, guns cleaned, floors swept, clothes washed and mended.

Michonne was impressed as it looked like The Sanctuary was a thriving community where everyone had a job to do.

"Negan always says that people are our greatest resource and that's why we've tripled in size since first settling here a month after everything happened. During the weekdays, we all do our jobs, most of us right here in this room while others, like Kate, go out and scavenge supplies."

"Do people pick their jobs?"

Annie shook her head. "No, Negan and Simon assign jobs by matching skills and ability to what is currently needed. So far, there haven't been any issues with the placements."

Just as they exited the work area to enter yet another long corridor, Rick asked, "Where are the kids? I didn't see any back there."

"Weekdays are school days for them as Negan has a strict rule that learning doesn't stop just because the world did. The classroom is right here down the hall. Follow me and I'll show you."

A minute later, Rick and Michonne entered a room at the very end where they saw three young girls and two older teenagers quietly reading at tables. The room was dimly lit, utilitarian and silent as a tomb, very unlike any classroom Rick had ever been in.

Just then, someone shouted for Annie from back in the main work area. "Ugh….I'm being paged. Feel free to introduce yourselves and I'll be right back to show you the rest, okay?"

A few seconds later, Rick and Michonne found themselves under the scrutiny of five gazes.

Michonne stepped forward first, her lips curved in a friendly smile. "Hi everyone, I'm Michonne and this is Rick. We just arrived here today."

One of the teenagers, a blonde, preppy looking guy, was the first to approach, a wide grin on his face as he shook Michonne's hand and then Rick's. "Nice to meet you. I'm Brandon." While the other teenager walked over to join them, Rick noticed Brandon give Michonne a subtle once over while maintaining his harmless façade.

 _Rich college kids were annoying as hell even after colleges went away_ , Rick thought as his right hand clenched with the need to remind Brandon this wasn't a kegger and Michonne wasn't the newest sorority sister.

"Hi, I'm Kimmy, Brandon's sister, _twin_ sister, actually." As the second introduction interrupted Rick's musings, he looked up to see a pretty girl, with the same blonde hair, high cheekbones and hazel eyes as her brother, standing in front of him, a flirtatious smile on her face. As he shook her hand, he slid his gaze to Michonne and saw that her smile looked a bit strained as she watched Kimmy hold on to Rick's hand a few moments too long.

"Have you two lived here long?" Michonne asked as Kimmy stepped back to stand next to her brother.

"A couple of months. We arrived shortly after Negan and Simon settled this place. We were with another group, making our way out of the D.C. area, Georgetown U specifically, when we ran into some trouble and ended up on our own. We were lucky to find this place and have been here ever since."

"Are your parents here?" Rick asked.

Brandon answered. "They were vacationing in Europe when it all went down. We spoke to them a couple of times on the phone and they let us know they were going to ride it out on one of the Greek islands. We lost touch with them when it got worse instead of better."

 _What kind of parents chose to stay apart from their children during a crisis like that?_ Rick thought and, as he looked over at Michonne, saw that she was asking herself the same question as her brows came together quickly and then smoothed out again as she composed herself with another friendly smile.

"It's awesome that you're here. This place is kind of a drag as it's mostly older people who are super serious all the time. It will be so cool to hang out with you guys." Kimmy chirped as she stuck her hands in the back pockets of her designer jeans, a position that just happened to pull her cropped short sleeved sweater tight across her chest.

 _Cool….right. We can throw back some beers while listening to the walkers rattle the fence,_ Michonne thought as she stopped her eye roll just in time. She then felt guilty as she remembered that everyone deals with trauma differently and just because Kimmy and Brandon dressed and acted like the end of the world was merely a lull in action didn't mean they were terrible people.

They were just….different.

After nodding and smiling in response to Kimmy, Michonne looked over Brandon's shoulder at the three girls sitting at tables in the middle of the room. They didn't look very welcoming, with the youngest one huddled up against the girl sitting next to her, practically burying her face in her shoulder while the girl sitting behind them slouched in her chair with arms crossed in front her, a sullen expression on her face. Since Rick had always been better with younger kids than her, Michonne turned to gesture for him to approach first, only to see that he was already walking slowly toward them with a gentle smile on his face.

Crouching down in front of the table with the two girls, which put him at a less intimidating height, Rick re-introduced himself and Michonne in a soft tone that would have done his mom and dad proud. While he'd never had a whole lot of patience with kids their _own_ age, Rick had always looked out for those smaller and younger than himself and he hadn't lost his touch.

She envied him that and promised herself that she would start to learn from the master which meant to follow his lead.

The older girl, with short dark hair and bright green eyes, spoke first, her twang reminding Michonne instantly of back home.

"My name's Maggie. Maggie Greene. And this is my sister, Beth." Maggie stated as she gestured to the younger blonde haired girl who remained silent beside her. Maggie met Rick's gaze with a steady one of her own, showing Michonne that she wasn't shy or fearful.

"Nice to meet you Maggie and Beth. What are you reading?" Rick asked with a smile, pointing to the book Maggie held open with her hand.

"Cat in the Hat. We're working on Beth's reading," Maggie replied as she nudged her sister with her shoulder to encourage her to sit up and say something.

"It's my favorite." Beth declared with a breathy whisper that Michonne had to strain to hear.

"Cat in the Hat is awesome and one of my favorites too growing up." Rick replied with a grin and then recited in dramatic fashion, ' _But our fish said, "No! No! Make that cat go away! Tell that Cat in the Hat you do NOT want to play'_ which elicited giggles from Beth and turned Michonne's insides to goo.

"God, that book is so _stupid_ and I'm sick of hearing it every damn day," the sullen girl behind them muttered as she turned her face towards the door, making it clear that she wanted to be anywhere but inside that classroom.

Raising a brow at the girl's rudeness, Michonne turned to Rick only to find that he completely ignored the remark as continued his conversation with the sisters. "You sound like my home. Where are you girls from?"

Beth replied with a grin, happy to answer the question now that Rick had passed muster. "Griffin, Georgia."

"Griffin! Why that's just down the road from where Michonne and I are from!" Rick answered back, solidifying his hero status with the two sisters as he bonded with them further. "Now let me see if I can guess how old you are." Michonne grinned as Rick made a show of rubbing his chin as if in deep thought. _What an adorable dork he was._

"Okay, I think I've got it! Maggie, you're sixteen and Beth, you're twelve."

Both girls erupted into laughter at Rick's very wrong guess and Michonne saw Kimmy and Brandon exchange surprised looks as if they were hearing that for the first time.

 _Wonder Twins, meet Rick Grimes. He's pretty damn amazing._

"I'm ten and Beth is almost five. Her birthday is next month," Maggie answered once she had composed herself.

"Of course! Now I totally see it," Rick replied with a grin and a wink as he stood up and approached the next girl's table with a more neutral expression than he had used with the sisters. Leaning casually against a nearby pillar, Rick tilted his head and made his overture.

"And what's your name? I can guess if you'd like…."

"Uh, no _thank you_ ," the girl said with an exaggerated eye roll and shake of her head. "My name's Rosita Espinosa, I'm twelve years old, I'm from D.C. and I'd really like to get back to my reading, okay? If you're done here?" she finished with a wide eyed gaze that made it clear she was done either way.

Just as Michonne was about to step forward and ask Rosita what the hell her problem was, she stopped as she remembered that the children were all most likely orphans. So, Rosita was lashing out in her grief, something Michonne remembered doing many times after her mama had died, and that had been when the world was _still_ the world and she had her dad to lean on.

Rick stood up from the pillar and gave Rosita a brisk nod, unfazed by her rudeness. "Nice to meet you Rosita. I'll leave you to your book. Maybe we can chat more at dinner time."

 _Oh he was good_ , Michonne thought to herself. Polite, yet making it clear he wasn't going to back down, causing Rosita to widen her eyes in surprise before closing her expression off once again as she shrugged and opened her book, dismissing him.

"It looks like Annie is still tied up. Brandon and I can show you the rest of the place if you'd like." Kimmy offered as she walked up to them with a smile.

"That would be great, thanks Kimmy," Rick replied and before she knew it, Michonne and Brandon were following Kimmy and Rick as the two siblings vied for the top tour guide spot in their attempts to impress.

 _Annie, please come back soon!_ Michonne silently pleaded as she suddenly wanted nothing more than to be shown to the room where she and Rick would be staying so they could talk about everything. They hadn't had one second alone together since arriving at the gates and it was bit much after a week of solitude with each other.

As they walked through the central courtyard and entered the other wing of the building, it was Kimmy's turn to narrate, her high pitched voice giving Michonne a headache so she didn't even feel bad about interrupting her. "Excuse me, my backpack is getting really heavy as I've been lugging it around for the last hour. Can you show me and Rick where we'll be staying?"

Kimmy nodded. "Absolutely, the sleeping quarters are straight ahead." After walking through another large metal door, Michonne squinted to adjust to the dim light and it took a moment before she could see the large room.

 _One_ large room with twenty or so cots set up side by side, storage bins stowed underneath.

"This is where everyone sleeps?" Michonne asked as she realized that there was no privacy and no real estate for her and Rick to call their own. Would their cots even be next to each other?

"This is where the women sleep. The men are on the other side of the building past that corridor over there," Kimmy stated as she gestured towards a dark, long hallway connecting the two sections of the building.

 _Shit._

"Michonne and I just got here and we don't want to be separated. Where's the section for families? I'm sure you don't separate _them_ , do you?" Rick asked with enough irritation in his tone to reassure Michonne she wasn't alone in her concern.

Kimmy turned a wide eyed gaze to Rick. "Are you and Michonne married?"

Rick let out a frustrated sigh. "Of course not but we don't want to be separated."

Brandon piped in. "Dude, you can take that up with the boss man but I can tell you right now that he's super strict about unmarried people cohabitating. Like _super_ strict. Says it helps to keep things less messy."

Muttering an expletive under his breath that verbalized what he thought about Negan's rule, Rick turned to Michonne with a clear message written all over his face.

 _I'm ready to leave if you are._

With a small shake of her head, Michonne turned to Brandon with a smile. "We understand. Let's just finish the tour, okay?"

And with that, they followed Brandon and Kimmy down the narrow hallway, passing by yet _another_ hallway with five or six closed doors. Rick stopped and asked what the rooms were used for and Brandon replied with a shrug that they were just extra storage. As they continued walking towards the men's quarters, Rick shot a look at Michonne over his shoulder, moving his gaze from her to the hallway and she replied with a quick nod.

They had found their _real_ sleeping quarters and what Negan didn't know wouldn't hurt them, right?

 _Right._

As Brandon showed them around the men's quarters and helped Rick find a cot to claim as his own, Michonne had the feeling she was being watched. She would occasionally stop and shoot a look over her shoulder but saw nothing but shadows. Shaking her head and assuming exhaustion was playing with her imagination, she was about to continue following the group when she heard a quiet shuffle behind her. This time, she didn't stop but instead pointed up at the ceiling, tilting her head slightly to the side as she asked Kimmy about something.

There! A flash of white towards the dark hallway between sleeping quarters. After loudly stating that she wanted to quickly drop her backpack off at her cot, Michonne did just that.

She ran quickly back down through the corridor but turned at the last minute down the shorter hallway, hoping the dim lighting had hidden her move. Grinning as she heard the stealthy steps of her shadow, Michonne stayed silent until the footsteps passed her hiding spot.

Michonne now pursued the pursuer and just as they both approached the entrance to the sleeping quarters, she cleared her throat as the figure peered in the doorway.

"Looking for someone?" she drawled from behind.

"Oh shit!" After a quick jump of surprise, the young boy, no more than ten or eleven with straight black hair and brown eyes, put on an indignant front with hands on hips. "It's not very nice to sneak up on people like that, you know."

Leaning against the wall, Michonne simply clasped her hands together and tilted her head with a smile. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

The boy sighed as he admitted defeat. "Sorry about that. I was doing my afternoon rounds and heard new voices so I wanted to check you out. No harm, no foul, right?" he finished with a cajoling smile.

Oh, this one was a handful, Michonne thought as she kept her grin to herself.

"Afternoon rounds?"

The boy nodded. "I skip school, which isn't _really_ school because there's no teacher or lessons or chalkboard, and I explore the buildings. I'm on the hunt for secret passages."

Charmed by the boy's confident manner, Michonne let a small smile slip. "Okay, I'll bite. Why are you looking for secret passages? Are you looking for treasure or something?"

"What good would a treasure do me nowadays? No, I'm looking for places to hide from the dead people and the bad guys, of course."

And with that, Michonne was instantly brought back to the grim reality of their world courtesy of this young boy who was living the stuff of nightmares right along with everyone else.

Could innocence even continue to _exist_ these days?

After letting out a small sigh, Michonne stuck out her hand in greeting. "I'm Michonne and I love everything about old buildings so maybe you can show me some of your passageways sometime, okay?"

After pumping her hand in a surprisingly firm and enthusiastic handshake, the boy grinned up at her. "I'm Glenn and it's very nice to meet you."

After Glenn helped her pick out an unclaimed cot for her own, Michonne dropped off her bag but kept her sword with her, not quite ready to walk around unarmed. After walking back to join the others, she introduced Glenn to Rick and smiled at how impressed Glenn looked as he took in the holstered gun and sheathed hunting knife. Looks like Rick just gained another member to his ever growing fan club, she thought to herself with amusement.

Just as their group exited the living quarters, Annie walked up to them while apologizing profusely for abandoning their tour. Reassuring her that they were fine, Rick and Michonne said their goodbyes to the three kids, who then headed back toward the schoolroom. Michonne chuckled softly as Glenn veered right at the last minute and scampered towards one of the large vacant buildings, sending a wink and a wave Michonne's way as he ran.

 _Yup, a handful._

Upon entering the commissary, Annie offered them some refreshments which Rick and Michonne were only too happy to accept as they both realized they hadn't eaten since early morning and even that was only a handful of nuts and some jerky.

Happy to have a moment to themselves as Annie went to get them some food and water, Rick was just about to speak when they were interrupted by a loud clank followed by an even louder, "MotherDICK!"

Heads swiveling in tandem toward the shout, Rick and Michonne watched as a very large man stumbled out from behind one of the generators, dropping a wrench along the way as he shook his hand while spouting off more expletives. Jogging over to see if he could assist, Rick stopped a few feet away, slightly cautious around the man now that he was closer and could see that he was well over six feet tall and over two hundred pounds of pure muscle.

The man was built like a tank. Swallowing past his nervousness, Rick continued his approach.

"Do you need any help, sir?"

Looking up from his injured hand, the man turned light blue eyes towards Rick and Michonne, his mouth quirking with humor underneath a thick horseshoe shaped mustache. "Sir, huh? I haven't been called that since serving in the 23rd. I'm no Sargent anymore, kid, just a plain old civvie like you."

Rick replied with a smile of chagrin. "Force of habit, sorry. I'm Rick and this is Michonne."

The man nodded his greeting as he cradled his hand. "Name's Abraham. Welcome to the Sanctuary. It's a bit of a shit hole but it's a _safe_ shit hole so that works for now, right?"

Rick grinned, liking the man's blunt speech and, after a quick glance toward Michonne, found that she did too. "I know some first aid. Do you need some help with that hand?"

Abraham looked down as if just noticing the blood dripping from the cut on his palm. "It's just a scratch. I've had worse than this, believe me. You don't serve in the land of dust, dunes and platoons of pricks without getting dinged a few times. I've been working on this piece of shit generator with our chief engineer and one of the blades got me, that's all."

"You have an engineer here?" Michonne asked, with no small amount of excitement in her eyes.

"Well not _officially_ an engineer, more a jack of all trades," a man answered as he walked toward them with hand outstretched in greeting. "Hi, I'm Liam."

After the introductions were complete, Michonne immediately started peppering Liam with questions about the generator and its set up. As he noticed how animated she was, Rick buried any jealousy that may or may not have been bubbling to the surface. He wasn't used to sharing Michonne's attention, that's all, and would have to get used to it being directed elsewhere.

Even if that 'elsewhere' happened to be tall, dark and handsome. At least Liam was _old_ as he looked to be close to thirty, so there were no worries that any romantic attachment would form.

Not that that was a _worry_ of course.

Realizing that he was scowling, Rick smoothed his expression into more neutral territory as he turned back to Abraham, only to find the man grinning knowingly at him. "Come on, kid, let's leave the brain trust to kick the little engine that couldn't in the ass. We'll go hunt down a first aid kit and you can help patch me up, sound good?"

Turning back toward Michonne only to see that she had disappeared with Liam behind the generator, while still deep in discussion, Rick swallowed and nodded. "Sure, let's go."

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly after Rick was done with Abraham and Michonne helped fix the generator. They ate with Annie as she answered their questions and then finished their tour of what was basically a compound, with two other large buildings on either side of the main one separated by large cement courtyards with a sturdy fence around the entire perimeter.

At Annie's suggestion, Rick and Michonne went their separate ways once again to unpack their belongings and stow them in the bins stored underneath their cots. After he was done, Rick sat on his cot and rested his elbows on his knees as he looked around the large room, busy with friendly chatter and activity from the men around him.

Was this home? Were they going to be able to settle here? It _seemed_ safe and Negan seemed like a capable leader who had a system, but Rick would stay vigilant and he knew Michonne would as well. They would keep their weapons with them at all times _just in case_ but maybe, just maybe, they could actually settle here.

They would wait and see.

Needing some fresh air, Rick exited the building and made his way to an empty picnic table in the middle of the central courtyard. He had just perched on top of the table when the metal door behind him clanged shut. Turning his head, he watched as Abraham wheeled out a pile of scrap metal and dumped it into a large bin against the wall.

Dusting his hands, Abraham greeted Rick with a nod and walked toward the table. As he approached, he drew a cigar from inside his jacket and held it up. "Mind if I take my smoke break with you?"

Rick moved over to make room. "Not at all."

Once he sat down, Abraham slowly ran the cigar under his nose and closed his eyes. "Nothing like a quality cigar to put a cap on a long ass day, I'll tell you what."

Rick shrugged with a small smile. "I wouldn't know much about that."

Holding the unlit cigar between his gloved fingers, Abe turned to Rick. "Right, I forget you've just dipped a toe into manhood. You and your girlfriend are really mature for your age."

Rick turned to Abe with a soft chuckle and a shake of his head. "Why do you think Michonne's my girlfriend?"

"It's obvious as my freckled ass. My deductive reasoning, fine-tuned throughout my 25 years on this planet as well as my six years serving at the pleasure of Uncle Sam, tells me that you two are protective of each other, are _very_ in tune with one another and….." Abe chuckled as he examined the cigar in his hand.

"And?"

"And you looked like someone had just pissed in your cornflakes when Liam was chatting with her."

Rick felt an embarrassed flush creep up his neck as he realized his visceral reaction to being apart from Michonne had been so clearly projected.

Sitting up straight, he forced himself to meet Abe's amused gaze with a stern one of his own. "We're friends that grew up together. Yeah, we're close but we're _not dating_."

Sticking his cigar in his mouth and lighting it, Abe took a long puff and exhaled then shrugged. "None of my business either way, so we're good."

" _Good_."

And with that, the two men sat quietly next to each other for several minutes, the silence between them surprisingly comfortable. With a fortifying deep breath, Rick asked the question he'd wanted to since meeting the former soldier earlier in the day.

"Abraham, when you were in the army…"

"Yeah?"

Rick shifted his position so he turned more fully toward the older man. "…did you…um….did you kill anyone?"

Tapping the ashes from his cigar, Abraham took another drag as he stared off into the distance, his eyes squinting at the setting sun. "I did. Served a tour in Iraq and then went right back at it in Afghanistan, so yeah, I ended more than a few lives over there."

Encouraged by Abe's moderate tone, Rick continued. "How did you handle it? The….. _after_ part? Did you feel any guilt or regret?" After Abe continued to stare into the distance for a long minute, Rick held up his hands and quickly added, "I'm sorry, you don't have to talk about it. It's really none of my business."

After standing up from the table and putting his cigar out with the heel of his combat boots, Abe turned back to Rick with a shrug. "Nah, you're good. I'm just trying to figure out the best words. They're not always easy to find, you know?"

Rick nodded.

Abraham studied Rick's face for several moments before giving a small nod, seemingly deciding the teenager could handle what he said. "They say you always remember your first. And, I certainly did. I also remembered my second, my third and every other life I ended in the name of freedom." Straddling the bench of the picnic table, Abe leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he continued.

"When you're a soldier in hostile territory, you follow orders and you just hope and pray you follow them well enough that you get to come home. You pull the trigger, detonate the grenade, drive the tank and trap, chase and outwit as many times as you have to in order to live. Guilt and regret are feelings that have no place _there_ but can hit you like a shit storm of bricks when you're back _here_."

Rick shifted so he could face Abraham head on. "I killed two men yesterday."

Abraham nodded. "I figured as much. Now that the world consists of all seven circles of hell, killing is an equal opportunity activity these days. Wanna talk about it?"

Rick replied in a rush. "They broke into the house Michonne and I were living in and I knew right away they were bad. I mean, I knew in less than a minute that I was most likely going to have to kill them both and in less than five, I did just that."

Abe nodded. "You trusted your instincts and you and Michonne are here, you're _safe_ because of it. So no reason to feel guilty about it."

"That's just it. I feel _nothing_. My dad was a cop and raised me to respect and abide the law and to always be the better man. One of the last things he said to me before he died was to not let this world change me. A month later I kill two men without remorse. I guess I'm….." Rick ran an impatient hand through his hair. "….I don't know what I'm trying to say….just forget it."

"I get it, don't worry. Now look at me."

Rick lifted his gaze from his dusty boots.

"I had a _year's_ worth of training to prepare for war. You had nothing but your smarts, your guts and your balls to get you through not making yesterday your last day on earth."

Rick's felt oddly consoled at the former soldier's blunt words.

"Here's the thing… ever since the world sailed down the River Shits in a handwoven basket, those still with a pulse have had to do things they've _never_ had to do before. And, yeah, that includes killing. There are no more generals around to bark out orders, no more police to arrest the bad guys and no more judge and jury to put them away." Abraham stood up, his own words seeming to rile him up.

Pointing to himself and then Rick, he continued. "We're _it_. You and me. Kate, Negan, Simon, Michonne, those little kids, old Mrs. Andrews. _We're_ the ones standing in the way of the assholes turning the planet into their playground. So don't judge yourself by the old rules because we're making new ones up every damn day now."

Rick stood as well, feeling the moment called for it. "I know things are different and we can't go back to how it was. I know that now, thank you."

Abraham slapped Rick on the back, causing him to stumble forward a step. "You got it, kid, anytime." With a wink, Abraham started back toward the building. "Now let's go see what your girlfriend's been up to, shall we?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Rick groaned while quickening his steps to keep pace.

He could swear he heard Abe mumble 'not yet' under his breath but didn't ask for him to repeat it because it wasn't a topic he was ready to tackle out loud.

For now.

Later that night, Michonne listened for the chatter in the hallway to die down and then quickly and quietly threw back the blanket and slipped her shoes on, using the moonlight coming in from the high windows to lead her to the door.

As she made her way down the corridor toward the short hallway, she was struck by how quiet it was considering how many people lived there. They must all respect the 'lights out' policy and Michonne wondered what that told her about this place.

Did they follow the policy out of respect or fear?

Shaking her head, Michonne promised herself to try to settle at The Sanctuary with an open mind because Negan and his group had been nothing but welcoming so far. Sure, they had a lot of rules but what functioning community _didn't_ have rules, right?

Michonne arrived at the row of storage rooms that she and Rick had passed earlier on her tour. With a quick glance up and down the hallway to confirm she hadn't been followed, she opened the door on the end and closed it behind her.

As she had anticipated, Rick was folding blankets into pallets on the floor in the corner, his crouched form barely visible in the dim light coming in from the small, high window. As she approached the pallets, her lips curved into a small smile, comforted by the fact that their sleep routine would remain the same, even after settling into a larger group.

"These won't be as comfortable as the cots but at least we can be together," Rick said quietly as he sat cross legged in the middle of his blanket, smiling at Michonne as she did the same.

"I _hate_ the thought of being separated. We don't even know these people and we're being forced to sleep on opposite sides of the building?" Michonne grumbled as she leaned against the metal desk at her back.

Rick shrugged. "Negan runs a tight ship and I can respect that. It's safer to separate the men and women until everyone gets to know and trust each other more. It also reduces the amount of intimacy that can go around so things are less messy."

"Yeah I get it. Still sucks though." Michonne replied as she met Rick's gaze across the dark foot that separated them.

"You okay with settling here? Cuz we can get our stuff and take off. Just say the word."

 _Some things never changed_ , Michonne thought. Rick still put her comfort and happiness over his own.

"I'm good. We'll hang out and get to know everyone better...see how Negan is as a leader and go from there."

"Sounds like a plan."

The next few minutes were spent sharing their thoughts about their new home and the residents they'd gotten to know. Not surprisingly, they had come to similar conclusions about the kids and also agreed that Annie and Abraham seemed trustworthy and very likable.

The next few minutes after that were then spent trying to figure out if Negan was going to assign them jobs or stick them in the classroom with the other kids. Their conversation seemed almost _too_ chatty as if the words were a welcome distraction from thoughts and feelings neither was ready to deal with.

As the chatter finally dwindled, silence filled the room, broken only by the scuff of their shoes on the floor or the shift of their bodies on the blankets. It wasn't a wholly comfortable silence but one charged with...something.

Michonne's breathing hitched just a bit as being closed up in a dark room with Rick seemed different now than it did back at Mt. Vernon. Back there, they were so grateful to have found each other and had so many other emotions to deal with, the physical awareness part took a back seat.

But now that they were part of a larger group and still sought each other out... _in secret_ … it reminded her that she and Rick weren't kids anymore.

Which _then_ reminded her of what had happened earlier that day on the car ride over. Rick must have been thinking of the same thing as she watched him run a hand through his hair and visibly struggle with his words before meeting her gaze head on.

"I'm sorry about earlier."

He was _sorry_?

"Why?" Even though the topic was awkward, Michonne fought a smile at how they could still use verbal shorthand with each other as they were always on the same page.

"My reaction...well, it was _completely_ inappropriate."

Sending a quick thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Grimes for raising such a gentleman, Michonne leaned forward and took Rick's hand in hers, needing the contact to help her make her point clear.

"Your _reaction_ was a normal physiological response considering I was practically giving you a lap dance. I wasn't offended or traumatized in any way, believe me."

 _Just the opposite as a matter of fact._

Rick shook his head and, if Michonne didn't know any better, she'd say he looked almost irritated before giving his terse response.

"Right. It was just a _physiological_ reaction, nothing more."

Was that sarcasm she heard? Hating that she couldn't read Rick clearly in the dark, Michonne sat up straight. "Is there something you want to talk about? Something I'm not understanding?"

After a long moment of silence, Rick mirrored her position and slid his hand from hers. "Nah, I'm just tired and don't even know what I'm saying at this point. It's all good."

Michonne didn't believe him but knew that continuing any line of questioning when they were both exhausted would not result in anything but more tension and frustration so she backed down.

"Alright, well if you change your mind, I'm here."

"Yeah, I know."

Once more, silence reigned so Michonne gave in to her fatigue and scooted back onto her pallet, pulling the blanket over her. After hearing Rick do the same as well as what sounded like winding the small travel clock they had packed, Michonne flipped onto her back, stared at the darkness overhead and then gave voice to the question she'd been asking for the past few hours.

"Did we make the right decision?"

A rustle of the blankets as Rick turned toward her, propping his head on his hand. "We needed to find people and we _did_ , so yeah, we made the right decision."

Michonne nodded. "I like the people and I like that there is a system to keep things running. Those kids, though. To be orphaned in a world like this…..alone…"

Silence allowed those words to settle in the quiet room.

" _We're_ orphans. We just happen to be older." Rick whispered gruffly.

Her eyes blurring with that harsh truth, Michonne pulled her lips in to stop their quivering. "We are, you're right. But, we're not alone." And with that declaration, Michonne's hand reached out in the dark to cover Rick's, their earlier tension forgotten.

Turning his hand over to clasp his fingers with Michonne's and give them a reassuring squeeze, Rick replied with a quiet, "We're not alone."

A minute later, their fingers still entwined, sleep reigned for the remainder of the night.

 **Then – Age 11**

Standing at the bottom of the stairs in Michonne's basement, Rick observed her sketching at the table with headphones on, singing softly along to the music. And in the corner were her four and five year old cousins, visiting for Thanksgiving. Based on the high pitched whines and shrieks, they were clearly fighting over who got to dress which Barbie doll and drive the corvette.

Seeing that the fight was only getting worse, Rick waved to get Michonne's attention and she immediately removed her headphones, filling the room with the loud pop music she'd been using to block out the noise in the room.

"Hey, G. What's up?" Michonne asked with a smile and not a care in the world.

Your mom sent an SOS to _my_ mom asking if I could hang out. She seemed to think you could use some help." Rick had to raise his voice towards the end so he could be heard over the escalating argument from the corner in the room.

Michonne rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Mama is way overprotective. I'm adhering to the no B&B rule and Tasha and Chloe are just fine. Feel free to hang out but I've got this under control."

As one of the Barbie doll heads flew across the room, followed by a piercing shriek of outrage, Rick turned to Michonne. "B&B rule?"

"No blood or bruises. As you can see, the girls are unharmed."

Rick sighed. "You definitely need my help. I've been watching younger neighbors and cousins for years so listen and learn."

Michonne leaned back in her chair with a grin. "Okay Dr. Spock, lay it on me."

Pulling up a chair across the table, Rick pointed to the chaos in the corner. "Let's break it down. You may see two little girls simply being two little girls but you know what I see?" Without waiting for an answer, Rick continued. "I see two young sisters who are tired and bored with each other's company and who are taking it out on each other."

Michonne held up her hands in protest. "Look I told them like _ten times_ to play nice and they're ignoring me. If they want to be miserable, it's on them, not me."

Rick sighed, "You really don't speak little kid do you?"

Michonne shrugged. "My mama said I was born old so I guess I don't."

Shaking his head, Rick decided to take charge. "When little kids are fighting you have to _distract_ them. Give them something to work on _together_ and they'll forget they were ever mad at each other." With a cocky grin, Rick added. "Let me show you how it works. Hey girls, how's it going?"

The shrieks died down as two heads turned in tandem. After staring at him for a couple of seconds, they both waved and chirped 'Hey Rick' in greeting. Leaning back in his chair and feeling like the smartest person in the room, a rare feeling when hanging out with Michonne, Rick started to reel the girls in.

"Why don't you give those poor dolls a break, whattaya say? Is there anything else you want to do? Maybe with me and Michonne?"

Rick heard Michonne mutter, "Don't bring me into this, G." but simply smiled sweetly at her in response, ignoring the plea.

The girls sat silently for a moment and then commenced with a fierce whispering session, ending with giggles that sounded alarmingly conspiratorial. As they scampered over to grab a large box in the corner, Rick saw Michonne pull her lips in as if holding back a laugh.

Uh oh….this couldn't be good.

Ten minutes later, Rick's short hair had been brushed within an inch of its life and pulled, stretched and clipped by at least a dozen pink plastic barrettes while his wrists were adorned with plastic bracelets of every color in the rainbow. Michonne had gone through a roll of Polaroid film (cackling with each click) as the girls posed with their creation as if it were a photo shoot.

With his face as pink as the barrettes in his hair, Rick remained a good sport and played along, never giving away that he was mortified beyond belief.

When the girls finally tired of their makeover session, they settled onto the couch to watch some cartoons, cuddled up against each other like the best of friends.

Resting her chin on her hand, Michonne smiled at Rick who was slowly removing the barrettes, wincing as his hair pulled with each release. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Your future kids are gonna be lucky to have you as their daddy. You're really good at this stuff and I mean that sincerely."

Rick muttered a curse word as he slid the bracelets off of his arm. "Thanks….and you're going to burn all of those pictures you took."

Michonne grinned as she waved the last one dry. "Not a chance. I need to keep them for future reference, just in case you're not around to save me from evil cherubs."

After scowling at his friend for a full ten seconds, her twinkling eyes and grin finally broke through and Rick burst out laughing at the situation. His mom always said it was good to laugh at yourself once in a while and he tried to listen to her as much as he could.

"While the evil cherubs are occupied, wanna play Battleship?"

"Sure, but I won't be able to concentrate until you take out your last barrette." Michonne replied with snort.

Rick groaned as his fingers searched for the offending plastic.

 **A/N: Thank you so much for your support of this story! It truly means everything to me and I'm thrilled you're enjoying it so far. I was excited to introduce some familiar faces in this update and allow them center stage. As soon as I conceived of this story, I knew** _ **exactly**_ **who I wanted Rick and Michonne to share it with. And I'm not done yet as you'll meet more familiar faces in the next chapter or two! Thanks again and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Then – Age 12**

"Michonne, the model looks perfect the way it is, I _promise_ you. We will get an A with _7_ pluses after it. Now can I please go home?" Andrea begged as she rested her head on the crossed arms she'd laid on the table twenty minutes ago.

"Yeah, I gotta agree. I can _totally_ see the battle of Gettysburg play out right before my gritty, exhausted eyes," Shane drawled from his position leaning against the wall in Michonne's kitchen.

Rick remained silent as he touched up the brown paint that brought the battleground landscape to life in the three dimensional model the four of them had been working on for over a week.

Michonne paced around the table, cupping her chin in her hand as she carefully scrutinized the social studies team project from all angles, ignoring the pleas from her friends.

"There's something missing. Yes, it's 'A' worthy but we need it to be _more_. It deserves _more_ than just a 'great job'.

Her voice muffled as she now spoke directly into the table while trying to block out the bright light of the kitchen, Andrea's begging tone turned stern. "There is no ' _more'_ , Michonne. We have this battle perfectly scaled and built and you can practically hear the screams of pain from the soldiers laying on the ground. Something I can totally relate to by the way." Lifting her head and glaring at her over achieving friend, Andrea finished with, "There is no 'more'. You'll just have to settle for a mere perfect and let us all go to sleep."

Michonne stopped her pacing and sighed, then turned her gaze to Shane for support. He shrugged and replied, "Hey I'm just here to saw the plywood, sand it and paint the big parts. But I'm with Andrea, let's call it a night."

Dismissing the naysayers in the group, Michonne turned to the one person in her life that understood, well, _usually_ understood what she meant. "Rick, you know when we're playing 'Zelda' and we want to _be_ more and _do_ more so we can win it all?

Eyes focused on his touching up of a bush trampled by miniscule horse hooves, Rick nodded. "Yeah, we power up….like getting the power bracelet for Link to give him superhuman strength."

Michonne beamed at Rick, making his cheeks pinken as he glanced her way while dipping his brush in the bowl of water nearby. "Yes! That's it! This model needs a 'power up', something that will throw it into the next level."

"Since I don't understand a word you're saying, which means it's just another day in my life, I'm going to leave you two geniuses to it and go home. My mom's waiting for me in the driveway. I'm going to sleep, look fabulous tomorrow and be prepared to dazzle the class with my 'A with seven pluses speech' I've memorized. Hopefully you'll be okay with that." Not waiting for answer, Andrea stumbled over to Michonne and gave her a hug, letting her know that there were no hard feelings even after being held prisoner for the two hours they had worked past bedtime.

"Hey, can I hitch a ride with you? My mom has the early shift tomorrow and is already sleeping," Shane asked as he grabbed his hoodie, nudged Rick in the shoulder with a 'later dude' and waved goodnight to Michonne.

A minute later, Rick and Michonne were alone in the quiet kitchen staring at the four foot by three foot model. After a few minutes, Rick leaned forward and squinted at the fallen soldiers and then turned his gaze to the soldiers still on horses.

"It's not right," he proclaimed.

Michonne mirrored Rick's position, hoping to see what he saw. "Talk to me, G."

"It's _quiet_. There are dead soldiers and soldiers riding around on horses firing their weapons but we don't _hear_ it."

Michonne's eyes widened as she saw the glorious potential in what was previously a disappointment. "Rick, you're freaking _brilliant_! Yes, we need screams, gunshots and the pounding of horse hooves. Maybe connected to buttons you can push to activate."

"That would be a power up of epic proportions," Rick said with a nod, his cheeks flushed with her praise. "Let me call my Dad and let him know I'll be longer."

As Michonne strode quickly around the table toward the basement to get her electronic tool kit, she stopped and cupped Rick's shoulders, giving him an excited shake. "You're the best, G, thank you!"

His cheeks flushing even redder, Rick murmured 'no problem' and walked over to the phone to call his dad.

Sleep was overrated anyway.

 **Now- The Sanctuary**

After sneaking back to her cot before dawn, Michonne managed to catch another hour or so of sleep before being awakened by cheerful music piped in through some kind of loudspeaker system. Sitting up with a yawn, Michonne grabbed the toiletries that had been allotted to her and got in line to wait her turn at the sinks in the restrooms on their side of the building.

A familiar high pitched voice spoke over her shoulder. "How was your first night's sleep here?"

Throwing Kimmy a polite smile, Michonne looked ahead as she shuffled forward a few steps. "It wasn't too bad. It was kind of nice to be around people again, actually."

Michonne could almost hear the eye roll before the former college student scoffed. "Yeah, right. You don't have to sugar coat it. This place isn't exactly four stars but it's safe, dry and warm which I'll take over being on the road."

The older woman in front of Michonne must have overheard Kimmy because she turned to glare at her and respond in a stern whisper. "You need to read the rules again, young lady, because disparaging your home is on there."

Michonne's brow raised. "There are rules? Annie didn't tell us that yesterday."

Kimmy returned the woman's glare with a smirk before responding to Michonne. "She'll give them to you and Rick after breakfast. That's the routine with new people. Interview them, welcome them, make them feel at home and then indoctrinate them with a list of rules."

 _How bad could the list be?_ Michonne thought as she shrugged. "We're not here to cause trouble so a few rules won't be a bother."

 _Right?_

After washing up and getting dressed for the day, Rick followed the men into the cafeteria and received his tray of breakfast with a nod and murmur of thanks. Quickly scanning the room, he waited for Michonne to join him after she grabbed her tray from a second line. After exchanging quiet greetings, the two of them headed to the end of one of the long tables, both looking forward to a few minutes of private conversation so they could share their observations from the morning.

They had barely sat down and unrolled their paper napkins when a small hand touched Rick's sleeve and he looked down to see the wide blue gaze of the little girl they met yesterday, Beth Greene. "Hey there, good morning," he said with a gentle smile.

Looking up from her plate to see the children standing by themselves with their trays, Michonne wondered why there were no adults looking after them. Did they not have anyone but themselves in this big place?

"Beth, I told you to give them some space." Maggie scolded as she walked quickly up behind her sister, placing her hands on her small shoulders. "I'm sorry for the interruption. She wanted to sit with you guys and I told her it would be rude to interrupt."

Rick scooted his chair over to make room for the sisters. "Nonsense. I'm actually relieved to see familiar faces as we still have to get to know everyone so please join us."

With a smile, Beth climbed onto the chair closest to Rick with Maggie taking a seat on the other side of her, relief evident in the set of her shoulders.

After eating a spoonful of oatmeal, Michonne asked in a quiet tone, her head tilted with a friendly smile. "Are you two on your own here?"

Maggie looked at her younger sister in concern and took several moments before answering, obviously taking Beth's feelings into consideration. "We're waiting for our Daddy to find us here so we turned down Negan's offer to live with one of the families."

Rick cupped the Styrofoam cup of coffee in his hands and nodded slowly as he thought of how to respond. "I totally get that. Where did you last see your daddy?" His question seemed to upset Beth as she scooted her chair closer to Maggie and leaned into her side, her face turned down toward her lap.

Maggie answered before Rick could apologize for overstepping. "We were staying in an abandoned house about a half hour drive north of here and were running out of food so Daddy told us to sit tight and he'd be right back."

Exchanging a concerned look with Michonne, Rick continued his questioning in a gentle tone. "And how long ago did he leave?"

Maggie lifted her chin almost defiantly as she hugged her sister closer. "We were alone in the house for five days before we had to leave. I left him a note telling him the direction we were moving in. A few miles down the road, Negan's people found us and brought us here."

 _Jesus_. Two little girls on their own for that long? It was a miracle they had survived and made it to safety unharmed. His faith had taken a huge hit when he lost his parents but it was times like this that made it easier to be a believer.

Michonne leaned forward, her heart breaking for Maggie and Beth as they had most likely lost their father within a day of him leaving. No parent would choose to be gone for longer than that and leave their children vulnerable and alone.

As she met Maggie's gaze, she saw a brief glimpse of grief sneak past the defiance and gave the girl a small smile before responding. "Well, I'm happy you're both here to show us around. And I know your daddy would be relieved that you found a safe place to wait for him."

Returning Michonne's smile with a grateful curve of her lips, Maggie gave her sister a comforting squeeze before urging her to eat her breakfast.

"Well good morning you two! I hope you both had a good night's rest?" Annie's cheerful greeting interrupted the quiet moment and Rick and Michonne both adjusted their moods quickly as they smiled and reassured her they had.

"Excellent. Well, I'll give you a few minutes to finish your breakfast and then we'll sit down and chat, okay? Stop by my office right over there." She pointed to a small glass paned room at the far end of the cafeteria and then waved and left without giving them a chance to agree.

As Rick looked over at Michonne with a raised brow, she answered his unspoken question with a shrug. "Apparently there's a list of rules we need to agree to…..or _else_ …" she finished with a dramatic widening of her eyes while pantomiming smothering a scream, causing Rick to chuckle and the girls to quietly giggle.

"Well we better chow down then. Don't wanna be late for our indoctrination, now do we?"

Five minutes later, Rick and Michonne sat down across from Annie as she placed a sheet of paper, presumably 'the list', in the middle of her desk and took a pen from the drawer. "Okay then, let's get started, shall we?" A quick glance and smile at the teenagers and then she continued. "First things first. As we talked about yesterday, everyone who lives here contributes to the community in some way. Since you're both under the age of twenty, your only job is to continue your studies."

" _Study_? That's it? What about all of the skills we told Negan about in our interview?" Rick asked, his brows lowered in confusion.

"Those skills are very impressive and will be put to excellent use in the future, I'm sure. For now, though, you just need to enjoy being young and keep developing your minds like you had planned to do before everything happened."

Michonne echoed Rick's confusion. "We're to spend our days in the classroom you showed us? The one with the kids and the Wonder….um…Kimmy and Brandon?"

Annie smiled. "Exactly. Not the whole day, of course, as that could get tedious. At least the morning and then the afternoons are yours to do what you wish."

Turning her head, she met Rick's gaze, which mirrored the resignation and caution in hers so she gestured for Annie to continue.

With a grateful smile at their cooperation, Annie laid her hand on the list.

"The Sanctuary is a thriving, growing community and in order to stay that way, we have a list of rules that every resident must abide. Failure to follow these rules will result in consequences, up to and including banishment from the grounds."

 _Were they serious with this stuff?_ Michonne thought as she responded with a stiff smile. Glancing over at Rick, she watched as he briefly scowled but he recovered briefly with a nod and a very southern 'Yes Ma'am.'

The first few rules regarded violent acts, theft and refusal to contribute, which made sense, so Michonne allowed some of the tension in her shoulder relax just a bit.

"Rule number 4. Do not leave The Sanctuary without clearance."

 _Uh….say what?_

Rick responded immediately as he sat straight up in his chair and practically growled, "Excuse me? Are we _prisoners_?"

Annie chuckled as she shook her head. "Oh no, no, not at all. You're free to leave at any time to go on runs, scavenge, hunt, etcetera. We just need to know where and when you're going so we can keep tabs on each resident. It's very dangerous out there, remember. This is nothing more than coordinating activities and making certain all precautions are taken."

"You might want to work on your wording choices. 'Clearance' is a bit on the militant side." Michonne responded, not happy with that rule, even after the explanation.

Annie smiled and scribbled a note on her steno pad. "Duly noted. Let's continue."

Numerous rules later, Michonne agreed with Kimmy's earlier disdain. Negan ran his ship so tightly, there was just a slim room for error. After giving it more thought, however, she realized that he may simply be trying to quickly build Civilization 2.0 before everyone decided to do their own thing.

Still….the rules sucked.

"Now rule number 11 doesn't really concern young people like yourselves but I have to review it anyway. Casual relations of an intimate nature are strictly prohibited."

Rick lifted his gaze from its study of the cement floor and immediately turned to Michonne with a ' _what the fuck is going on and are you ready to leave yet_?' look. As angry as her friend, but determined to take the grown up route, Michonne took a deep breath, tilted her head and smiled at Annie with the same expression her mama had always used when forced to be polite to an annoying fellow parishioner.

"Can you expand on that please? Just so we're clear?"

Annie's cheeks reddened as she smoothed her hand over the list and adjusted her position in her chair. Clearing her throat, she nodded and continued. "Of course. Negan….um…the _community_ has deemed it inappropriate for intimate…."

"You mean sex.…" Michonne clarified, tired of the euphemistic language.

"Yes, _sex_. Uh…married couples or partners in an established and committed relationship may, um…act accordingly in the privacy of their quarters but casual encounters are not allowed so that the community may remain peaceful and free of…well, I guess you could say, free of drama."

Out of the corner of her eye, Michonne saw Rick squeeze the arms of his chair in a grip so tight, she imagined the metal crumbling into dust very soon if they didn't wrap this chat up.

Nodding her head, Michonne crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, putting on the best adult façade she could muster as she clasped her hands loosely on her lap. " _Drama_ , right. All that physical bonding, comfort and release is the fast path to chaos for sure."

Annie, deaf to Michonne's sarcasm, nodded her agreement. "Exactly! That's all we're trying to do here….avoid chaos and keep the peace."

Michonne leaned forward with a smile. "Let me suggest that when you're trying to sell the 'no sex' rule, play up the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and the lack of medication to treat them. Why, these days, a simple case of Gonorrhea can be fatal with no antibiotics." Ignoring the incredulous look Rick was shooting her, Michonne leaned back in her chair, glad to keep Annie's attention focused on her instead of the ball of rage sitting two feet away. "That looks to be the last of the list. Are we all set here?"

Annie nodded and slid a copy of the rules across the desk for each of them. "All set. Just keep these handy for easy reference. I have no concerns with you two. You're going to settle in just fine."

"Great. _Fantastic_. Are we free to go now?" Rick asked with gritted teeth, the 'or do we need written permission' inferred in his tone.

"Of course. Do you need me to show you where the classroom is or do you remember?"

Grabbing both lists and walking quickly to the door, Michonne gestured with a quick jerk of her head for Rick to follow. "We remember. Thanks for your time."

A minute later, Michonne fought to catch up to Rick, who was practically running through the building toward the dormitories. As they approached the hall between the separate sleeping sections, Rick turned to her briefly, not slowing down for a moment, and told her to get her stuff and meet him back in that spot in five minutes. Not waiting for a response, he stalked towards the men's section, leaving Michonne standing there speaking to empty air.

Putting her hands on her hips, Michonne sighed and closed her eyes as she sent a quick prayer to her mama to gift her with some of the extra patience she had always had on reserve.

Men. _Ugh._

Rick was livid. Who the hell did Negan think he was to dictate every minute of their lives, including the private ones? As he threw a couple articles of clothing in the backpack he had never emptied, Rick replayed the list of rules Annie had delivered in her friendly travel agent voice and discarded the ones that made sense for a new community, focusing instead on the constrictive ones like having to ask permission to leave and not being able to have sex.

Throwing the pack over his shoulders, Rick corrected himself with a muttered, ' _Casual relations of an intimate nature_ ' as he marched back to the spot he had told Michonne to meet him.

 _Well, fuck that shit_. He might not be having sex but he'd be damned if some middle aged asshole was going to deny him that right when the time came.

And with that thought, his mind conjured an image of Michonne lying on a bed in just a thin t-shirt, holding up her arms and smiling softly at him…..

"Rick, we need to talk, _now_." Michonne, _real life_ Michonne, interrupted his very….interesting…vision with her curt command and he raised his eyes from the floor to her stern gaze. As her words sank in, he saw that she didn't have any of her belongings with her and instead stood in the same spot he'd left her, only now her hands were folded across her chest.

"Michonne, I told you…"

"Yes you _told_ me and I chose to ignore you. We need to talk about this. In there. _Now_."

A moment later, Rick found himself following an irritated Michonne into the room they had slept in the previous night.

Closing the door behind him, Rick shifted the pack to fit more comfortably across his shoulders and waited for Michonne to speak her mind so they could hit the road.

As it always was with her, he didn't have to wait long.

"We have to talk this through and not rush out of here, okay?" Without waiting for a response, Michonne walked up to him, stopping just a foot away so she could lower her voice to just above a whisper, mindful of possible eavesdroppers walking by.

"I get that you're pissed off. _I'm_ pissed off. His rules are ridiculous but…."

Rick bent his head to close the distance between them even further. "They're more than ridiculous, they're fucking _Orwellian_ and I've got enough nightmares in this world to deal with without adding more shit to the pile. We're _leaving_."

Rick then remembered something about Michonne. She had never taken kindly to being commanded as it awakened every 'I am woman, here me roar' gene in her body and rarely ended well for the one doing the commanding.

Michonne surprised him, though. Instead of lambasting him, she simply nodded and laid her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.

Little did she know her touch was anything but comforting these days.

"I'm not going to defend Negan but I don't think he's truly dangerous. He's nothing more than some former middle manager who is playing around at being powerful, that's it. Think about it. If he was some evil dictator, wouldn't everyone look beaten down? Scared? Where are his goons enforcing the rules, hmm? Where are his soldiers? The Sanctuary is a bunch of regular people who are trying to figure things out and Negan is giving them the answers they're either too tired or too afraid to think of themselves."

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Rick allowed her voice and words to calm him even as her touch excited him.

What was it about her that ruled him so? And had ruled him since day one.

Shaking his head against his weakened resolve, Rick stepped away from her touch as he paced the room. "Yes, the people seem fine. They're clean, fed and seemingly content. For _now_. They've only been together for a month or two. What happens when rules start to get broken? When some bad people invade our peaceful ranks? What happens when this perfect community starts to get its ass kicked, hmmm? I don't think Negan will handle it with a grin and some over-used charm."

Michonne nodded. "You're right. He's not equipped for real leadership long term. He's just the start up business that will get bought out by someone bigger down the road. But for now? For now, he's all we got. There aren't exactly a plethora of choices out there and at least we have shelter, protection and food. If the price we pay is following a few stupid rules, I say we do it until we can't anymore. As soon as we see signs of shit going south, we bail."

Rick ran a dozen different paths through his mind that he and Michonne could take other than staying there. Each one ended with uncertainty, which the scientist in him hated. Negan was the devil they knew and the world out there was filled with too many variables for him to work through. Negan was also _one_ man with no army so the threat was very limited.

Remembering his conversation with Abraham the day before, a man who he respected a great deal, made Rick step back even further. If the veteran soldier thought this was a good place to live, then who was he to reject it?

Unable to fight logic, Rick sighed as he turned toward Michonne. "We keep our bags packed and our weapons close at all times. We become familiar with _every inch_ of this place and all of the exits and we leave the _minute_ Pleasantville goes to shit, okay?"

Michonne smiled. " _Deal_. And as we become familiar, we can make our _own_ list. A list of all the dark spots to have 'casual intimate relations' in."

Rick pretended to groan in reaction to her smartass remark even as his damn imagination betrayed him again, this time with a crystal clear image of Michonne beckoning him towards a shadowy corner with a crooked finger and a smile.

He needed a distraction…. _stat_.

"Let me dump my pack and we'll head to our day job. Which apparently is being students with no curriculum or materials."

"Awww you're just nervous because it's your first day and you haven't made friends with the cool kids yet. Don't worry, I'll be your lab partner."

"Getting your way makes you annoyingly chipper, you know that?"

"You'd know that better than anyone, G."

 _Truer words had never been spoken._

After making their way across the building to the classroom, Rick stopped outside the door as he once again thought about their decision to stay. Negan was a man in over his head at best and a budding dictator at worst. Was having a roof over their heads and having a fence between them and the walkers worth the risk of living with a wildcard for a leader?

"'Lighten up Francis'." As Michonne interrupted his musings, he was thrown back five summers ago when they had smuggled his dad's copy of 'Stripes' into her basement for a viewing. They had become obsessed with it and watched it at least twenty times, fast forwarding past the naughty parts.

Grateful for the memory, Rick grinned at Michonne. "Really? You're reciting movie lines at a moment like this?"

"I like to pay homage to the genius that is 80's Bill Murray at every opportunity," Michonne replied with a dignified tone. "And that was the _perfect_ line to remind you not to scare the children with your scowly face."

"Scowly isn't a word." Rick retorted, enjoying their easy banter as it was always the best part of his day when they were younger.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm about to get some book learning in then isn't it?" Michonne shot right back and then proceeded to stick her tongue out at him before turning the knob of the door.

It took only a glimpse of that pink tongue to catapult Rick back to the present as it reminded him that they had left their childhood long ago.

And with a fortifying breath, he followed Michonne into the room, a friendly smile pasted on his face.

Fifteen minutes later, after greeting the girls and the twins and performing an inventory of the classroom supplies as well as an inspection of the room, Michonne strode to the front to stand next to Rick, put her hands on her hips and firmly proclaimed to everyone, "This isn't going to work."

Rick nodded his agreement, knowing better than to interrupt Michonne when she got riled up.

"This is all wrong, everything about this room is _wrong_ ," Michonne continued as she paced underneath the high, dusty windows. "This isn't a classroom, this is a…..well, I don't know _what_ it is but we're not staying here."

As if on instinct, Maggie raised her hand, just as she would have to her teachers back home. Also instinctually, Michonne called on her with a smile.

Rick barely suppressed a chuckle at the exchange. Michonne was already leading this classroom and she didn't even realize it.

Maggie responded. "Negan assigned us this room and we're supposed to stay here to 'learn', 'laugh' and 'stay safe'.

Michonne stopped her pacing as the careful recitation caught her attention. "Are those the list of rules Negan gave you?"

Maggie nodded. "Negan gave them to us a few weeks ago. Said it took him awhile to figure everything out but he seemed excited about the rules. They didn't seem too hard to follow so Beth and I agreed and we've been coming to this room ever since."

Michonne walked toward the girls while her mind whirled in a hundred directions at once. "You and Beth only have those three rules? Learn, laugh and stay safe? Nothing else?"

A silent nod from both sisters.

Michonne moved on to the moody adolescent who was once again slouched in her chair in the back row. "How about you Rosita? Same rules?"

A shrug, nod and murmured 'yeah' was her answer.

"Negan told the community that he wants kids to be kids and not worry about the world going to shit," Brandon chimed in.

"Okay I get that, but why are you and Kimmy here? You have the same adult rules as Rick and I do and you're relegated to sitting in a room doing nothing all day?"

Brandon shrugged. "He said teens and under attend class. Kimmy and I turn twenty next month."

Kimmy had a delayed reaction to Michonne's question as she sat up straight and held a large history textbook up in front of her. " _Excuse me_ , I wouldn't call learning about American history _nothing_."

Michonne rolled her eyes and walked over to Kimmy, impatience making her steps brisk. Placing her hands on the table, she leaned down to reply in a low tone. "This is a sixth grade textbook and…." She paused as she flipped the book open to reveal the glossy magazine stashed inside. "…..I think you already know about eyebrow waxing and the latest trends in skinny jeans."

Kimmy's response was a half-hearted glare and pout as she returned to her slouching position.

Returning to the front of the room, Michonne continued her speech. "My _point_ is that while Negan may have good intentions, he really doesn't know what to do with all of us so we're tucked away in this dingy room with no teacher, no supplies.…"

"There _was_ a teacher. Some old cow named Mrs. Berkeley but she didn't want to be here and made that clear. Negan found out a couple of weeks ago and moved her over to bathroom cleaning duty." Rosita clarified with a smirk as she shared what seemed to be a good memory for her.

Michonne nodded. "Okay, thanks for that. Now here's what I see our current situation as. There are four college students, a middle schooler and two….no, make that _three_ (stated more loudly for the set of ears most likely listening from the hallway) elementary students who are assigned to study on their own in a dark, dusty room with only a pile of outdated textbooks and a handful of reading books to work with. Do I have that right? Am I missing anything?"

Rick pulled his lips in to suppress his grin as he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and assumed a relaxed stance to counterbalance Michonne's agitated one.

"I think you captured current state accurately, Michonne."

Shooting Rick a glance at his mild tone, Michonne caught the amusement in his gaze and took a deep, relaxing breath in response. Continuing to face the class but keeping her eyes on Rick, she responded in a much calmer tone. "You know what we have to do, don't you?"

Rick nodded. "I do. We gotta power up."

 _She wasn't alone in this_ , Michonne reminded herself. He was and always would be her partner, co-conspirator and yang to her ying.

"What's power up?" Maggie asked as she leaned forward in her chair, her green eyes widened in interest.

Michonne grinned at Rick. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Rick clasped his hands behind his back in his best professorial stance as he nodded with exaggerated dignity. "Certainly. Well, young lady, powering up is simply a short way to describe adding on, upgrading, making something way better and way cooler than it currently is." He paused to let that sink in and then broke character with a wink and a grin.

"In other words, we're going to build ourselves a real school."

Beth trumped her sister's wide gaze with a burst of excited clapping as she bounced in her seat.

Rosita even moved herself from her perpetual slouch into sitting straight in her chair.

Ignoring the twins' looks of confusion, Michonne focused on the girls' signs of approval and what she thought was a muffled 'Yes!' coming from outside the room somewhere.

Motivated to get moving, Michonne brought her hands together in a loud clap that served as a substitute gavel bringing the meeting the order. "Okay, then. Now we just need to find the proper space. We need one large room, preferably near a couple of smaller rooms. The rooms need to have _lots_ of windows and have multiple exits." She paused, knowing she was forgetting something so she turned to Rick as looking at him helped her think. As he returned her gaze with a raised brow, she was briefly distracted by his eyes and…. _when did he get cheekbones?….._ before remembering the last requirement. "Oh! And it would be great if the location could be near a secure area for outdoor play." Sending a knowing smile towards the door once again, Michonne raised her voice so she could be heard by _all_ listeners. "Now does anyone know a space like that?"

Expecting the response to come from the hallway outside the door, Michonne jumped in surprise when a small panel, that looked like something used for utilities, shifted at the back of the classroom and Glenn popped his head in, his grin visible even in the dim light. "I know where we can go! It's got almost all your requirements and I can take you there right now."

 _That kid really gets around_ , Michonne thought, impressed with his dedication to exploration.

"Glad you could join us, Glenn. Why don't you have a seat and we'll talk about your spot, okay?" As Glenn climbed through the panel, Michonne excused herself and Rick and gestured for him to join her in the hallway for a quick conference.

In five minutes time, Rick and Michonne discussed what they wanted to do and how they would propose it to Negan. Excited with this new project, Michonne did a brief happy dance by the door and then told Rick to wait for her while she told the kids they were going to meet with Negan.

Rick shook his head. "I'll meet with Negan on my own while you check out Glenn's spot. We both don't need to go."

Michonne tilted her head as she considered Rick's offer. "Are you sure you want to do this alone?"

"I'm sure. I don't want Negan to think we're trying to pressure him with the double teaming and….." he paused as he found the right words. "….it's something I _need_ to do. I…. want to give Negan a chance and will be less distracted if you're not there."

Michonne smiled. "I'll leave it to you, then. Just poke your head back in to get directions from Glenn before you leave and then you can meet us there when you're done."

A few minutes later, Rick was walking down the hall leading to Negan's office when he ran into Simon coming from another direction.

"You lost, kid? Classroom's back that way." Simon said as he blocked Rick's path, forcing him to stop.

 _What the hell was this guy's problem?_

Pasting a polite smile on his face, Rick shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and assumed a casual stance. "I've got something to discuss with Negan. Should only take a few minutes and then I'll be on my way."

Simon's heavy brows came together as he looked down at the clipboard he was carrying. "I don't see your name on the list of appointments for the day so it looks like…."

"Rick! How's it going?" Negan interrupted in a cheerful tone as he poked his head out of his office. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Giving Simon a 'fuck you' smile, Rick scooted around the guard dog and walked toward Negan in purposeful strides. "Hey Negan, I was hoping to have a few minutes of your time. I have an offer for you."

"Hear that, Simon, Rick's got an _offer_ for me. I don't hear much of that these days."

"He doesn't have an appointment." Simon responded while sending a glare Rick's way.

Negan scoffed as he waved Rick into his office while hitching up his loose fitting khaki's. "I've got some free time, Simon, pencil him in and all will be well."

Closing the door in Simon's face gave Rick more satisfaction than a properly raised person should have.

As Negan sat in his leather chair, he brushed the loose hair off of his forehead and adjusted the collar of his bright red polo shirt. Sitting across from the man, Rick quickly concluded that there was nothing physically about Negan that was threatening. He dressed and acted like a car salesman trying to close the next big deal, not like someone who was building a totalitarian empire.

"Okay Rick, you've got me curious. What offer are you going to make me on your second day at The Sanctuary?"

"Michonne and I would like to build a fully functioning school that would accommodate all students up to 12th grade. We've already identified the space with room for growth and are in the process of creating a list of supplies that we'll need. We'll assess the students, build a curriculum and provide instruction until some real teachers join the community."

Negan sat back in his chair, nodding his head slowly. "I like your gumption, young man. We don't have a lot of ambitious people here…..yet….so it's nice to see someone so young reach so high like that. I have a strict rule about kids under the age of twenty focusing on their studies, though and I believe you're…" Negan paused as he leafed through his records. "…..only eighteen so I'm not keen on you and Michonne skipping your learning in order to teach the younger ones."

Rick had anticipated this argument and a bit of candidness wouldn't be unwelcome. "Michonne and I graduated high school with enough college credits to skip our first year in college. So unless you have books on pathogenic bacteriology or multivariable calculus, there isn't much available to us in that regard."

Negan laughed. "Well since I don't even understand the words you just said, I will agree with you. We're just getting our sea legs here and collecting textbooks hasn't made it to the list of priorities quite yet."

Rick nodded. "Yes sir. Food and safety are your top priorities and I completely support that. That's why we'd like to relieve you of any concern when it comes to teaching the young ones." Rick leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs in a friendly pose as he closed the deal. "Regarding our education, well I believe we can get that here, just not with books."

"How so?"

"Let us spend the mornings teaching the kids and providing them with structured activities, including play and then allow us the afternoons to focus learning more in our respective areas. I can shadow the doctor you have here, Dr. Carson I believe?" At Negan's silent nod, Rick continued. "And Michonne can spend time with Liam and the other engineers."

Negan steepled his fingers over his pursed mouth as his eyes squinted in thought. After several long moments, he hit the desk with his hand and grinned. "I _love_ it! It would be like an internship, right? Yeah, that could work. You take care of the kids part of the day and then take care of yourselves for the other part. Good times all around."

Performing a silent fist pump in his head, Rick returned Negan's smile. "Exactly."

After spending a few minutes ironing out the specifics, with Negan documenting all the details, Rick thanked him for his time and turned to leave the office, excited to share the good news with Michonne. As he walked toward the door, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye that he hadn't seen before. A thick barreled Louisville Slugger bat, one that had been well used by the looks of it.

Turning back to Negan who had turned his attention to a ledger book, Rick smiled and pointed to the bat. "Did you play?"

Looking up distractedly, Negan saw what Rick was asking about and became very still. Wiping his face of all expression, Negan raised his gaze, his dark eyes almost cold, and replied simply, "No. I didn't."

And with that, he turned back to his ledger, effectively dismissing Rick.

 _There's a story there somewhere_ , Rick thought, but simply nodded and made his exit as that would be a mystery to solve another day.

He had good news to share with Michonne and the kids and didn't want to spend another minute thinking about anything else.

The rest of the morning was a flurry of activity as Rick was deemed a hero by a beaming Michonne and a very excited Glenn, Maggie and Beth. Even Rosita cracked a smile or two. After the initial celebration quieted down, Michonne told Rick that the twins had informed her that they would stay in their current classroom as they had no interest in building the school. With a roll of her eyes, Michonne muttered, 'Thank God' under her breath so only Rick could hear.

Lists were made, spare cleaning supplies gathered and several schedules created. Michonne was in her element and Rick realized her joy was contagious as he and the children seemed to gain energy they hadn't possessed since the world went away.

It felt damn good.

A few minutes before lunch time, the kids said their goodbyes as they ran back to the dormitories to get washed up and Michonne and Rick finally had some time to themselves.

Still riding the high of the morning, Michonne walked around the room, tilting her face toward the sunlight flooding it with warmth through the floor to ceiling windows. Glenn had come through with the perfect space tucked away in one of the tertiary buildings adjacent to the main one. Walking over to the back window, Michonne grinned as she looked over the patch of grass big enough to throw a football or kick soccer balls around. A sturdy fence surrounded the entire area to keep them safe.

Sensing Rick coming up to stand behind her, Michonne kept her eyes on the future playground, her mind still working out details. "Today's a good day, G. A damn good day."

Rick chuckled softly. "You got that right. A _crazy_ day that started with me wanting to get the hell out of here to now helping you build something but….yeah…a damn good day."

Michonne turned to face Rick, craning her neck a bit as he stood only a foot away. "You did more than help, you made this all possible by getting Negan to buy into it. I won't forget that."

Rick shrugged as he slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "It was easier than I thought. As strange as that guy is, I think he does have a soft spot for kids so he wasn't a hard sell."

He had always been without ego, Michonne thought, always giving credit to others in order to build them up and leading by example and action, not by title. Spurred by the success of the day, Michonne grasped Rick's arm and gave it an affectionate squeeze, leaving it there because it felt right to do so.

"We make a great team, Rick Grimes."

Rick stood very still and silent for several long moments, his eyes staring down into hers with an intensity she had never seen before and it made her catch her breath. Her hand gave his bicep another gentle squeeze, almost on its own volition, as if doing something her mind would never dare.

The next second brought Rick a small step closer, causing Michonne to have to crane her neck a bit further. With a quick glance at her exposed throat, Rick slowly brought his eyes back to hers and responded with a quiet rasp.

"Always have, always will, Michonne Payton."

 _Oh my. What new waters had she just dipped her toe into?_

Unable to look away from Rick's gaze, the sun lighting his blue eyes to an almost ethereal shade, Michonne slowly ran her hand down his arm, delighting in the feel of his rapid fire pulse as she lingered at his wrist before resting it loosely at her side once again.

"Can I ask you a question?" Michonne whispered, their closeness making anything louder unwelcome.

After giving her wayward hand an almost mournful glance, Rick returned his gaze to hers, his broad chest rising and falling a bit more quickly than usual.

"Ask me anything."

Michonne smiled then bit her lip with a twinge of nervousness as she leaned against the windowsill for support.

 _She'd never shied away from testing new waters._

"Do you ever wonder what….." A fortifying breath and then, "….what would have happened if I had never moved to Japan four years ago?"

Rick gave her a gentle smile and, without hesitation, shook his head. "No I never wondered what would happen."

Just as her heart felt a sharp pang of disappointment, loud music blared throughout the compound, signaling to the residents that lunch was being served.

Forcing a nonchalant shrug, Michonne started to walk towards the door. "We should go. Don't want to be tardy for our meal and break rule number 8."

Rick's next words, spoken quietly and with a thicker drawl than usual, stopped her in her tracks.

"I never _wondered_ but I know what I had _hoped_ would have happened if you'd stayed in King County. And I know what I would have _tried_ to have happen when we lived five miles away from each other at college."

Her eyes wide, Michonne slowly turned to face Rick, who still stood near the window, certainty radiating from his gaze and small smile. As he walked toward her in an unhurried stride, his eyes held hers and Michonne's heart raced as he neared her.

 _This was way more than new waters_ , Michonne stammered to herself.

And, as the lunch alarm stopped, quiet wrapped the two of them in a cocoon Michonne never wanted to leave.

Once again standing only a foot away, Rick tilted his head as his eyes leisurely moved over her face in what felt like a caress and said, "Question is, Michonne….what did _you_ hope for then? And what do you hope for now?"

Her hand covering her heart to stop it from beating out of her chest, Michonne's mind cleared of all thought, all logic and every plan she had made today.

There was only Rick, her best friend, her oldest friend, standing in front of her looking completely calm as he laid his heart bare.

 _Oh Mercy me._

 **A/N: This update took way longer to get out than I intended. I found out about the fate of Carl weeks ago as I follow spoilers, and my creative energy went on hiatus as a result. As a huge Carl and Carchonne fan, I have to figure out how to stay motivated to write fanfic and I think I'm finally getting there. I love writing because I get to control who lives, who dies, who finds happiness and who struggles. My stories are all within _my_ control and no network or showrunner can take that from me or from you as my readers. I was excited to get back to this story and indulged my shipper's heart with spending more time with Rick and Michonne in this chapter than originally planned. I think I needed that time to cheer me up from the show's events so thanks for indulging me. Your reviews have meant everything to me and I'm so very grateful to each and every one of you who are spending a part of your day reading my story.**

 **Speaking of which...for those of you who like the slow build romance like I do, fear not. There is plenty of development still to occur in this love story and you'll get to see each and every step they take toward one another!**

 **Mama**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Just a quick note to promote the two 'Then' segments in this chapter as they lay the foundation for the love story building between ZA Rick and Michonne. Enjoy!**

 **Then – Age 14**

"Okay, which shade of pink do you want for the flower petals? The hot pink, the hotter pink or the hottest pink?" Andrea asked as she slid the three bottles in front of Michonne while they both sat on the floor in Michonne's bedroom. Andrea had just learned how to do nail art from her older sister and was excited to try out her new skills on her friend.

Humming along to Rihanna's 'S.O.S' playing in the background, Michonne made a big show out of considering the three shades of pink with the smallest of variation. After squinting her eyes and tilting her head for a few moments, she grabbed the last bottle in the line with a grin. "Gotta go with the hottest, of course."

Andrea grinned in response as she gestured for Michonne to rest her hand on the ottoman between them. "Excellent choice. Okay, now hold still while I perform my artistry. This flower is simple but small so I need you to not bop around like you usually do when the queen is singing."

Michonne replied with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of holding still for a couple of minutes, jeez."

Andrea glanced up from her work on Michonne's index fingernail and let out what was very close to a cackle. "True art takes time, my friend. _Ten_ minutes at least."

Her eyes wide, Michonne glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed to mark the time and made a silent vow to not move, something she was fairly incapable of doing during her waking hours. Her mama had sometimes called her Little Miss Hummingbird when she was being particularly mobile.

She smiled with that memory and was grateful, as she always was these days that she could think of her mother without wanting to burst into tears. Maybe time did heal after all.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you. I set Ashley up with Brian and they're going to the movies with me and Shane this weekend. I'm positive they'll hit it off because I've got a talent for this matchmaking stuff."

Narrowing her eyes at her friend, whose blonde head was just a couple of inches above her finger as she slowly drew her nail design, Michonne realized that Ashley and Brian were the latest in a long line of eighth grade couples Andrea had brought together. She deserved some answers at this point.

"Can I ask you a question?"

A nod and distracted 'mm-hmm' were her answer as Andrea continued her work.

"What's wrong with me? Am I ugly or something? Too bossy? What?"

Sitting up straight and putting the brush back into its bottle as she grabbed the next color, Andrea stared at Michonne as if she had multiple heads. "Are you nuts? You're gorgeous and you know it. And, yeah you're bossy but usually just to your inner circle and we're used to it. What are you talking about?"

"You've never tried to set me up with anyone and I'm your best friend so I'm feeling a bit rejected at this point. I mean, _Ashley_? Really?"

Sending her a relieved smile, Andrea laughed as she once again bent over Michonne's hand, this time with a bright green brush for the miniscule leaves. "I'm a matchmaker, not a homewrecker, Michonne. You've already got a boyfriend."

Widening her eyes, Michonne tapped Andrea's shoulder with her free hand, indicating for her to stop. When she had her friend's full attention, she responded. "Who the heck is my boyfriend? Please introduce him to me."

" _Rick_ , of course. Hey, hold your hand still," Andrea commanded as she continued to paint her tiny design on Michonne's nail, oblivious to the shock she had just dealt her friend.

"What are you talking about? Rick's my _friend_ , not my boyfriend. Explain yourself."

With a sigh, Andrea put a quick final touch on the bright flower she had just painted and returned the brush to the bottle of polish, knowing that Michonne would be relentless in her quest for answers. Leaning back on her hands, Andrea tilted her head and smiled at the stunned and concerned look on her face.

 _Time for a wake-up call, Michonne._

"Rick is your boyfriend in every way but the label." Sitting up, Andrea held up her index finger before continuing, "Exhibit number 1. He blushes when you compliment him and you giggle when he teases you, behaviors you each display under no other circumstances."

Michonne rolled her eyes. "Weak and assumptive. Try again."

Andrea grinned at Michonne's terse tone. She held up several more fingers in quick succession. "Exhibits number 2, 3 and 4. You have your own short hand language that only you two understand which accompanies your freaky mind meld thing. You attend each other's games and meets without fail and on the extremely rare occasion that you are _not_ in each other's company, you can be counted on to mention the other at least once but usually several times."

Michonne leaned forward wagging her finger at her smirking friend, even as her heart raced. "We're best friends! Everything you listed is simply the behavior of two friends who think highly of one another and support each other, nothing more."

Andrea nodded slowly as if considering Michonne's defense, an act that was thrown out the window when she leaned forward and whispered, "Bullshit."

Michonne's eyes widened and she reared her head back with a gasp. "What do you mean _bullshit_? Are you calling me a liar?"

Andrea shook her head quickly, not wanting to escalate this eye opening event into a fight. "No, you're not a liar, not at all. I believe you believe what you're saying and I know Rick would present the same defense. That's what makes this so funny to watch. You're totally crushing on each other but you just don't see it."

Michonne stood up and paced her room, stopping only when Andrea lifted herself off of the floor and walked over to stand in front of her. After several tense moments, with the silence broken only with Michonne's rapid breathing, Andrea shot her final salvo in a calm, almost soothing tone.

"You _are_ best friends, no one would argue that. But do platonic friends clench their fists and jaw like Rick did when Ben Tillerson flirted with you when he was your lab partner last month? Do platonic friends develop a scowl like you did when Lori mentioned that she was working up the courage to ask Rick to the spring dance? I say no, but that's just my opinion."

 _Andrea was seeing things that weren't there because she'd been dating boys since sixth grade and assumed every kid their age was ready to get romantic._

Pleased with that very logical conclusion, Michonne willed her heart to beat more slowly to reflect her newfound calm. With a brisk nod, Michonne resumed her seated position on the floor and gestured for Andrea to do the same.

"I know what it looks like and it makes sense that you'd think Rick and I like each other as more than friends. But I _know_ that we don't and that's it, pure and simple. I'm not even fourteen yet and am just enjoying being a kid still and Rick is too."

Andrea nodded, conceding the argument for the time being, as she opened the bottle nail polish for her second design. "You haven't most likely been a _kid_ since the age of five, but I hear you. Dating isn't something to rush into." Bending her head to once again hover just above Michonne's nail, Andrea wielded her brush in delicate strokes as she muttered, "Twenty bucks that you and Rick go to junior prom together and I'm standing firm on that."

With an image flashing through her mind of Rick in a tux pinning a corsage on the strap of her shimmering gown, Michonne shook her head and returned her focus to present day. "Deal."

 **Now**

 _Shit. I fucked up_. Rick thought as he watched Michonne's face go still, her eyes wide and her lips parted in a gasp that morphed into quiet, fast breaths. While he was happy to voice the feelings that had been bottled up for years, he realized it was a selfish move. It had made him feel better but he couldn't imagine what it did to her.

He had to make it right. Quickly.

"Miche….I'm sor-"

Slender, trembling fingers quieted him with a soft press against his lips and Rick's heart quickly accelerated to a rate usually reserved for the end of a race. Removing her fingers after a too brief moment, Michonne shook her head and smiled.

"Don't you dare. You put it out there and you meant it. Now give me a second to process it."

Rick pulled his lips in to suppress his grin. It was going to be okay because instead of pulling away, Michonne was taking the lead in what came next, a position he knew she was most comfortable with.

He had all day and would give her as many seconds as she needed as this was too important to be rushed.

As she moved her gaze to stare out of the large window behind him, Rick watched her expressive face inform him that she was juggling a hundred different thoughts, fears and hopes in that brilliant mind of hers and he could only pray that she came to the same conclusion he did.

Finally, she returned her gaze to his and his heart thudded as those big brown eyes looked up at him.

"If I hadn't left for Japan, you had hoped we would be more than friends and, if the world hadn't ended, you would have tried to make that happen when I got back to Atlanta. Am I understanding this correctly?"

He wanted to hug her, she was so goddamned adorable with her mind trying to wrap reason and logic around emotions and dreams he'd had since forever. Determined to reassure and comfort her, Rick replied in language she understood.

"That's right. I don't know when exactly I would have asked you to be my girlfriend but I'm pretty sure it would have early on in high school because I was really close at the end of eighth grade. The only reason I didn't ask you out then was I didn't want to screw things up as I was just an idiot boy who didn't know anything other than the high point of my day was you."

 _This was happening_. This wonderful man, her _person_ , was laying it all out in the open and it was overwhelming. Overwhelming in a wonderful, fantastic and miraculous way.

Eyes welling with the same emotion that sent her pulse racing, Michonne slowly lifted her hand to cup Rick's cheek, feeling compelled to touch him and erase the distance between them. "Whenever and wherever you asked me, I would have said yes, I promise you."

 _He could conquer the world_. This awful, violent, dangerous world. He could conquer it because this amazing woman, who had never left his heart, was at his side and was ready to leap into the unknown with him. With Michonne's reciprocation of his feelings, Rick stood taller and felt stronger than he ever had in his life.

He wasn't an idiot boy any longer and he knew exactly what he was going to do next. Something he'd wanted to do since the day they reunited a week ago and, if he were honest with himself, most likely since he understood just how different girls were from boys.

Taking a step closer so only inches separated them, Rick leaned down and rested his forehead against Michonne's, reveling in her quiet gasp as her hand slowly moved down from his cheek to grip his shoulder. Wrapping his arm around her slender waist and moving his hand to the small of her back, he rasped, "I'm gonna ask before I do, because my mom raised a gentleman. Is it okay if I…."

Moving a half step closer so no air separated them, Michonne placed a finger on Rick's lips to quiet him then moved it slowly down his bottom lip as she replied with a whisper. "My mama raised me to dive and not wade so….."

And with that, Rick flashed a quick grin before tilting his head and bringing his mouth to hers, their lips pressing, moving, giving and taking as if it was their thousandth kiss instead of their first. Hesitation and awkwardness never arrived as their lips opened against each other and the bottled up yearning brought on by buried feelings was allowed to breathe fresh air.

 _So this was passion_. _This was what the poets wrote and the singers sang about_. As Michonne pressed even closer to Rick, standing on her toes to better align with every inch of his muscular body, her fingers dove into his thick shaggy curls, her mouth greedy on his as it laid claim. As their breaths mingled, Michonne felt a bolt of heat unlike one she'd ever felt shoot through her and, as Rick's tongue tangled with hers, she gripped and tugged those curls as a moan made public the frenzy going on in every feminine part of her body and soul.

A muffled shout and distant bark of laughter dragged Rick out of the bliss of Michonne's kisses and he slowly lifted his head, his mouth tingling with the need to go right back to where it was and forget about the world around them. Opening his eyes, he looked at the plump lips only an inch from his own then moved his gaze to Michonne's, groaning at the heat in her dark brown eyes. Heat that his kisses had put there.

After a few fleeting seconds of heavy breathing while they both recovered, Michonne's eyes crinkled slightly as her mouth curved into a grin. "First kiss and you went there, G?"

Lowering his brows in confusion, Rick caught up a moment later as he realized that his hands were cupping Michonne's ass in a position that could only be described as proprietary. _Definitely_ not appropriate for a first kiss.

Standing straight and stepping back, Rick removed his hands and raked them through his hair, his breathing still coming out in fast pants. " _Shit_ , sorry, Miche, I wasn't thinking…."

Her grin widening, Michonne placed her finger over Rick's mouth again, repeating the earlier gesture that had started them on the path to their kiss. "Hush now. You don't hear me complaining do you? I like a man who knows what he wants." Her sassy reply, coupled with her gaze of a well pleasured woman, put him at ease.

His face flushing, Rick returned Michonne's grin with an embarrassed one of his own. "I'm kind of obsessed with it and I guess my hands knew where they wanted to be."

Wetting her lips with a quick dart of her pink tongue, Michonne slowly moved her hand up Rick's chest and then down again to rest on his flat stomach. "Who are we to argue with our very smart hands?"

 _Jesus, she was going to kill him._

Just as Rick was about to move his arm around Michonne's back to pull her in for another kiss, Abraham's gruff Texas drawl intruded on the silence of the room, making them draw quickly apart.

"Alright kids, whatever you were about to do or about to _deny_ doing, table it for later because you've got about 90 seconds to make it to lunch before breaking rules."

Wanting badly to stay right where he was and focus on nothing but kissing and touching Michonne, Rick's resentment of Negan's rules bubbled to the surface, causing his fists to clench in frustration.

"Sorry Abe, we're right behind you," Michonne apologized with a smile as she nudged Rick forward and they walked quickly down the hallway toward the cafeteria. Halfway there, they ran into Nina, a tall brunette in her mid-twenties who they had met yesterday while touring the infirmary. With a flashing smile, she joined their race-walking group.

"Running late for the noon cattle call I see. Don't sweat it, you're newbies so they won't throw you in the dungeon quite yet," Nina teased before asking Michonne about their new classroom, allowing Rick to fall back to walk with Abraham.

"Not even _one_ day, Grimes, and you're proving me right," Abe said, amusement clear in the low tone meant for Rick's ears only.

Feeling his neck flush as he remembered his proclamation that he and Michonne were just friends, Rick forced a casual shrug as he glanced up at the former soldier. "That was a true statement yesterday."

Abraham slapped Rick across the back as their group entered the cafeteria just in time to get into the tail end of the food line. "Well congratulations my friend. Glad you came to your senses."

And with that, the flush on Rick's neck traveled to his face and he could only nod in response and mutter his thanks before grabbing a tray and moving to stand directly behind Michonne as they waited to be served. As he listened to her make small talk with Nina and laugh at the woman's remarks, Rick was relieved that their giant leap into new relationship territory didn't seem to have a negative impact.

Lunch couldn't end soon enough. There was a great deal of unfinished….business….between them and they needed time and privacy, two things that were a luxury around their new home. Once figuring out the nearest place where they could continue their conversation, Rick relaxed a bit and told himself to enjoy the meal with their new friends.

Her lips still tingling from the kisses she had just shared with Rick, Michonne was grateful for the distraction Nina provided as it prevented her from analyzing and then _over-analyzing_ every moment leading up to them. She could simply enjoy the feeling of being thoroughly kissed by her best friend and not worry about what that could mean for them going forward.

There would be time to figure all of that out.

As the group sat down with their trays at an empty table, Michonne watched as Nina grabbed a chip off of Abraham's plate and then playfully slap his arm when he responded in kind. With a raised brow, she glanced over at Rick to see if he had caught their flirtation and then took a quick intake of breath when she found his eyes solely focused on her as they took their seats across from each other.

 _Oh my, oh my, oh my_ ….Michonne thought as she returned his gaze, wondering if his eyes had always been that blue and that…intense. She felt her body warm and her face flush with the realization that she and Rick didn't have to hide their attraction to each other anymore. It was _out_ there to do with what they wished.

With Nina and Abraham's chatter as muted background noise, Michonne decided to dip her toe into their brand new pool of possibilities and held Rick's gaze while ever so slowly running her hand up the water bottle on her tray and then bringing it up towards her mouth where she took her sweet time wrapping her lips around the opening before taking several languid sips.

Watching as Rick looked like he was about to combust, if his blazing eyes, clenching fists and shifting body were anything to go by, Michonne gave herself an inner nod of approval as the power of her femininity was confirmed.

 _Nope, nothing to be nervous about at all. She had this._

"So how are you guys settling in? Sleep okay within our land of cots?" Nina's question re-directed (albeit reluctantly) Rick and Michonne's attention from each other to their companions and they each sat straighter in their chairs while smiling their responses.

Considering she had slept on a makeshift pallet in a storage closet instead of the cot provided for her, Michonne buried her twinge of guilt as she replied. "We're settling in just fine, right Rick?" At his quick nod, she continued. "Everyone we've met so far has been very welcoming and I'm sure we'll figure out the ropes in not time."

After swallowing a bite of his sandwich, Rick leaned forward as his response wasn't meant for mass consumption. "This place is great and we're grateful to have a safe place to stay but I gotta ask you something…."

Nina smiled, "Shoot."

"What's with all of those rules? They just seem….I don't know….a bit 'Big Brother is watching'."

Nina chuckled in response as she nodded. "They are a bit extra, I can't argue with you there. It didn't surprise me when Negan came up with them, though. He's always been a bit of micro manager."

Michonne turned her head to face the woman sitting next to her. "Always? Did you know Negan before?"

Nina nodded as she grabbed another chip off of Abe's plate, winking at him after doing so. "Yeah, I've known him for a few years now. I worked for him while putting myself through nursing school."

Shooting Rick a quick glance confirmed that she wasn't the only one interested in what Nina had to say so she continued her interrogation disguised as friendly conversation. "You worked for him? What was he, a politician or business owner or something?"

Taking a swig of her water bottle, Nina chuckled at Michonne's guesses. "Definitely not a politician as Negan likes to answer only to himself but, yeah, he owned his own business. I worked part-time as his office manager and helped with the books."

Not even pretending to be interested in her lunch, Michonne swiveled in her seat to face Nina completely. "What kind of business did he own? I bet he sold cars, right? He seems like that kind of guy."

With a bark of laughter that drew several gazes their way, Nina lowered her voice as she answered, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "He _is_ that kind of guy, for sure but, nah, he sold insurance and had his own agency. He milked that '15 minutes, 15%' stuff for all it was worth and was pretty successful."

Her eyes wide, Michonne swung her gaze back to Rick just as he lowered his brows in apparent confusion before returning her gaze, sharing the same thought she had. The leader of a large end of the world community was an _insurance salesman?_ Seriously? Michonne had to hand it to the guy, he had seized an opportunity and taken it, giving himself a big fat promotion in the bargain.

"So the rules are his way of keeping a tight lid on this place?" Rick asked, still trying to understand their leader and his ways.

Nina shrugged and nodded. "He hasn't come out and said so but, yeah, he's always been really big on keeping things in order. Keeping everything organized and predictable. I guess with the world ending, the rules are his way of maintaining some of the law and order that we used to have." A quiet chuckle and then, "Or, you know, he could just be doing it to get his rocks off."

 _Probably a combination of the two_ , Michonne thought. Knowing they only had a couple of minutes before the end of lunch, Michonne asked one last question. "Has Negan ever punished anyone for breaking the rules?"

Nina darted her gaze around their table as if to make certain no one was listening and then she leaned in and replied in a low tone. "Only once and it was just a few weeks after we'd settled here."

Leaning forward as well, Rick replied, "What happened?"

Shooting a glance at Abraham, Nina responded after his quick nod. "There was this guy, Will something or other. A real loner. I can't remember how he joined our community but he must have put on a good act to get in because he was not right. _Extremely_ not right."

"Not right? Like crazy not right?" Michonne asked.

Nina nodded. "I've been trained not to call someone crazy because there is always an underlying disorder or illness but, yeah, this guy had serious issues. He'd talk to himself, have fits of rage and just generally didn't play well with others. He was warned several times to behave and for a couple of weeks he seemed to be falling in line but then Simon found Will's stash while looking in a janitor's closet for a mop."

"Stash?" Rick asked as he quickly looked around to make sure their conversation remained a private one.

Nina sighed. "Knives. Big ones, little ones, serrated and smooth, he must have had twenty knives in that closet."

Michonne's brows came together in confusion. "How did Simon know they were Will's?"

"Because Will was the janitor in charge of said closet and because he flipped his shit when Simon came out with them in a box."

 _Well, damn._

"So what did Negan do?" Rick asked, curious about how a brand new leader handled a dangerous and unpredictable situation.

"He met with Will, told him he'd broken too many rules and wouldn't be allowed to live here any longer. Then he banished him."

"How?" Michonne asked.

"He gave Will some food and water, blindfolded him and had Simon drive him to a town about thirty miles away. It might seem like a harsh sentence, sending one off alone like that but there weren't a lot of options. Still aren't."

Nodding his head, Rick replied. "Yeah, I get it. We're all winging it at this point."

As the lunch bell rang, Nina stood and picked up her tray. "It's been peaceful here since then and, as ridiculous as the rules are, we've only had a few minor incidents so I guess they're working, right?"

As Rick and Michonne nodded their agreement, Nina smiled and waved goodbye before making her way back to the infirmary. Watching Nina walk away with a smile of the reluctant besotted, Abe then turned his head toward the group making its way toward them from the other side of the cafeteria. "Looks like your Cabbage Patch kids are anxious to get working on your classroom so I'm gonna get out of your way."

"Any chance we can recruit you for some heavy lifting later?" Rick asked as he smiled a greeting at Glenn and the girls as they approached.

"Count on it. Just have to finish my shift and I'll head over." With that promise, Abe waved and walked away.

"We thought lunch would never end!" Glenn announced as he stood before Rick and Michonne with his hands on his hips. "Can we start working on our school now? There's a lot to do to get it ready."

Wanting a couple minutes with Michonne, Rick replied, "You run ahead, okay? Michonne and I will be right behind you, I promise."

With a huff, Glenn looked the two of them in the eye, his arms crossed across his thin chest and then, with a reluctant nod, told them not to be too long before leading the girls out of the building.

Michonne chuckled. "That kid's gonna lead his own community someday, mark my words. He's a force to be reckoned with."

"Reminds me of someone I know." Rick replied with amusement as they made their way to the courtyard between buildings.

"You're not talking about _me_ are you?" Michonne asked with a grin. At Rick's raised brow, Michonne winked and replied. "Now you're just being polite, G. You know I was _way_ bossier."

Laughing as he agreed with Michonne's assertion, Rick walked toward the picnic table he had spotted earlier, looked around to make sure they were alone and then turned to clasp Michonne's hand in a loose hold, loving the feel of her but still nervous as he tread new territory.

He'd never been a boyfriend before and knew there were only a few ways to get it right and a million ways to screw things up.

"Hey, uh…..so are we…uh… good?" _Real smooth Grimes._

 _He was too cute_ , Michonne thought as she squeezed his hand. "We're good and we'll figure it all out. It's what we do, right?"

Returning her smile with a small one of his own, Rick indulged himself and allowed his gaze to linger on his favorite face in the world with special attention being spent on the lips he wanted to spend way more time exploring.

Exploring, ravaging, licking, nipping….With a deep intake of breath to calm his rampaging hormones, Rick squeezed Michonne's hand and replied, "Right."

And with that agreement put out to the universe, they shared one more moment of privacy before breaking their hand hold and heading over to their new school, their minds filled with endless possibilities that would have been overwhelming if not for the knowledge that they had always had each other's backs and always would.

Shortly after returning to the new classroom, Michonne asked Maggie and Rosita to help her unpack the cleaning supplies while Glenn started to clear out some of the clutter into the hallway. After taking a quick look at a silent Beth who seemed a bit lost in the middle of the room, Rick smiled and grabbed some supplies out of the box that had been delivered earlier. Crouching in front of the small girl, Rick handed her a few sheets of paper and some markers.

"Can I give you a super important job, Beth?"

Her eyes widening, Beth nodded.

"I need you to draw a picture of what we should paint on that big wall over there next to the windows. We can do better than that plain light brown, right?"

With a quick grin, Beth replied, "Can I draw a field of tall grass and a horse and sunshine and blue, blue skies?"

With a gentle hand on her shoulder, Rick gave a reassuring squeeze then stood up. "Absolutely. That all sounds like a perfect mural for our new classroom."

As the young girl skipped over to one of the empty tables and settled in to work on her assignment, Rick headed over to the front of the room where Michonne and the other girls were getting started on cleaning the large windows, Michonne's imitation of Cinderella's wicked stepmother eliciting a giggle from Maggie and a small smile from the normally sullen Rosita.

Standing in the exact spot where he had kissed Michonne not even an hour earlier, Rick resisted the urge to close his eyes and relive the moment (actually several _very_ long moments) like a lovesick fool. There would be time to talk about what this change in their relationship meant, what it would mean for them going forward. For now, he would show Michonne that their friendship didn't have to completely change just because they were now something _more_.

And the easiest way to do that was to act like an idiot.

"Are guys allowed to participate in this cleaning fest or am I relegated to moving old furniture and boxes out of here?" he asked, his grin widening as Michonne didn't even skip a beat and tossed him a roll of paper towels, gesturing for him to tackle the window at the end of the row.

"Whistle while you work, G. I want this glass to sparkle like Beyonce's engagement ring."

"Yes Ma'am. I aim to please," Rick drawled as he caught the paper towels and winked at Michonne, chuckling softly at her quick intake of breath and widened eyes. As he walked over to his work area, her muttered 'good to know' made his step falter as the image of just _how_ he could please her flashed in front of his eyes.

Needing a distraction before he embarrassed himself, Rick made a show of standing in front of the windows with his fisted hands on his hips as he scrutinized the big job in front of him. "You know what we need? One of those movie songs where the characters look like they're having the best time in the world. I think I have just the one. Ready?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maggie nod her head vigorously and Rosita give him a small shrug. That was all the encouragement he needed (not that he needed _any_ of course) as he ignored Michonne's eye roll and ' _Oh no, here we go'_ , and sprayed the window with cleaner before belting in his best rocker voice the song that made Tom Cruise famous all those years ago.

Wiping the window clean with eyes closed and face tilted to the ceiling, his hips moving to the beat that was set by his enthusiastic singing, Rick gave himself a pat on the back as the sound of collective, youthful laughter echoed through the large room. Opening his left eye just enough to peek at Michonne as he raised his voice to belt out the chorus, he caught her facing him, paper towel clutched to her chest as she smiled at him with more affection than a simple country boy deserved from someone like her.

 _Has there ever been a more adorable man ever born in the history of mankind?_ Michonne asked herself as she watched Rick charm and amuse everyone in the room while also making her heart feel too big for her chest. To avoid turning into a puddle of feels on the floor, Michonne relied on old habits to keep her upright and on track. With a dramatic groan, she threw her head back just as Rick neared the end of the song, his head bopping in a strange 'Mick Jagger having a seizure' sort of way. "Please someone tell me we have _real_ music in this place!"

"You mean like this?" Glenn piped up right behind her, causing Michonne to turn in surprise to see the boy holding a boom box in one hand and a pile of CD's in the other. Tilting her head, Michonne's brows drew together in contemplation. With everyone's attention on her now that Rick had finally finished his song, she bent down to meet Glenn's gaze and asked in a low, serious tone.

"Glenn, are you a wizard?"

With a roll of his eyes and shake of his head, Glenn bent to put the music player on the floor and popped the lid open to place one of the CD's inside. "You're so weird, Michonne. No I'm not a _wizard_."

Spotting Rick out of the corner of her eye, Michonne sent him a grin and a quick wink before turning back to Glenn. "Are you sure? Because you make yourself invisible to get around this place, appear from the inside of walls and now you're granting wishes out of thin air. Seems like wizardry to me."

Looking up at Michonne from his crouch on the floor, Glenn gave her an overly patient look as his finger hovered over the 'play' button. "If by granting wishes you mean grabbing this CD player from the room next door once Rick started hurting my ears….." both Glenn and Michonne ignored Rick's affronted ' _Hey_!'…. "then sure, I'm a wizard."

As Michonne and Rick exchanged another glance of shared amusement, Glenn pushed the button and upbeat, synthesized music filled the room. After taking a second to observe the bopping heads of the girls as they returned to their tasks, Glenn stood and crossed his hands over his chest while giving Michonne a satisfied nod. " _Much_ better."

Finally letting her grin bubble to the surface, Michonne ruffled the boy's hair and laughed when he half- heartedly swatted it away. "Okay Harry, thanks for saving the day. Now how about you and Rick go grab Abe and some of the other guys to clear out the rest of the junk in the back, okay?"

Happy to be included in the 'man' group, Glenn returned Michonne's grin and gestured for Rick to follow him out of the room on their errand. Yelling that he'd catch up in a second, Rick walked up to Michonne, stopping only inches away. Tilting his head, he whispered in his raspy drawl. "Looks like I'm not the only one you have wrapped around your finger."

Her fingers twitching with the need to slide up the muscled arm so very close to her, Michonne responded to Rick's flirtation with a salvo of her own. "Wrapped around my finger, huh? Does that mean you're mine to command?" As his intake of breath and heated gaze made Michonne revel in the power of her femininity, her victory was short lived when Rick responded with another whisper, this one more growl than drawl.

"I'm counting on it."

And with those few words sparking delicious, very explicit thoughts, Michonne held Rick's gaze for a heated moment, her heart racing as his eyes moved from hers to her mouth and then slowly back again. On instinct, Michonne's tongue darted out to moisten her lips, almost as if in preparation for what Rick's words and actions promised.

His eyes molten, Rick's own lips parted with his panted breaths until, with a gaze to the ceiling as if asking for strength and then one more lingering gaze at her mouth, Rick turned, muttering what Michonne could swear was the word 'Fuck', as he finally walked toward the door to catch up with Glenn.

Her hand covering her racing heart, Michonne squeezed her legs together as heat filled her core and whispered "Yes please," while staring at the door Rick had just walked out of. And with that wish thrown out into the universe, she heaved one last calming deep breath before composing herself and turning to face the girls who were thankfully oblivious as they enjoyed the music while they worked.

"How's your drawing coming along, Beth? Can I take a peek?"

Nothing like a child's drawing of horses and sunshine to kick the naughty out of one's mind.

Well, _most_ of the naughty anyway.

 **Later that night**

Her heart hammering in her chest as the door clicked quietly behind her, Michonne met Rick's gaze across the room they would sleep in once again, the risk of breaking community rules overpowered by the need to be together.

The rest of the day had been filled with chores, hunts for supplies and lots of lists as their school started to take shape. There hadn't been any more private moments, just a lot of glances, shared smiles and incidental touches that had both energized and frustrated Michonne.

When one enters a romantic relationship, one should have many hours with which to indulge and explore shouldn't one?

The end of the world truly was a formidable chaperone.

Lifting her hand from the door knob, Michonne walked slowly towards Rick, her path lit by the soft light of the lantern placed on the floor next to their pallets. As she neared, Rick closed the distance with a few quick strides and didn't stop until he was close enough to hold her hand.

"I wasn't sure if you'd still come," he whispered, his eyes roaming her face as if looking for signs of a change of heart in the hour they had spent apart.

"Of course I came. Why wouldn't I?" Michonne replied, her head tilting in question as she closed the distance between them with another step.

"I don't know. I wasn't sure if you'd feel weird sleeping next to me after we…."

"After we made out and admitted that we're hot for each other?" Michonne replied as her eyes danced with amusement.

Letting out a sigh of relief along with his quiet chuckle, Rick cupped Michonne's face and ran his thumb gently over her lower lip. "Yeah, something like that. But you're here so the weirdness was only in my head."

Michonne nodded and in a dry tone responded. "As it always is, G. As it always is."

Loving that the same woman who owned his heart could also poke fun at him and make him laugh, Rick bent his head and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, affectionate kiss, willing himself not to pull her hips towards his and give his hands free reign like they always had in his dreams.

Closing her eyes and giving herself over to the warm, slow kiss that was just as devastating to her senses as the frantic, passionate one they'd shared earlier, Michonne wondered if this was the type of kiss Rick would have given her when he dropped her off at her dorm room after taking her out to dinner and movie.

She'd never know would she? She and Rick would never have the chance to be a normal couple with the normal struggles of finding time to date while juggling their studies and work and friends.

Instead, they'd build their relationship in a world filled with uncertainty, danger and limitless potential for loss.

With a sigh, Michonne pulled away from the kiss, squeezed Rick's hand and led him to their pallets, gesturing for him to sit across from her on the floor.

As soon as he sat down, mimicking her cross legged position, Michonne took his hand once again and met his gaze with a small smile. "We're not in King County anymore, Rick."

Nodding his head, Rick ran his thumb along her palm, and leaned in, ducking his head to better see her eyes in the dim light. "No we're not. Not by a long shot. But we're gonna figure it all out, I promise. No matter what, we're survivors and if anyone can find a way to make a life out of this, it's us."

As her eyes misted with the memory of those who _hadn't_ survived, Michonne squeezed Rick's hand and grabbed his other one, needing the contact. "We're raising the stakes with this step and I don't want to screw it up. You're too important to me. I don't want to do anything to lose you, okay?"

Letting go of Michonne's hand to swipe the tear escaping from the corner of her eye, Rick nodded, knowing exactly where her fears came from.

They were all they had left in this world and each day carried the risk of one final loss that neither was willing or able to consider.

"We're survivors and fighters, Michonne and we're going to kick this world's ass, you hear me?"

A watery smile and nod encouraged Rick to continue.

"We're still healing, still figuring out what we're doing to live here and we're still kids so sue us if we don't have all the answers right here and now, right?"

Another nod but this time with a brighter smile as Michonne sat up straight. "Right."

"So we take it one day at a time. We get to know each other all over again. We kiss when we want to kiss and touch when we want to touch. We figure out how to flirt with each other and we stay friends and give each other shit like we always have in order to reassure each other that we're okay. How does that sound?"

 _He was her rock_. He always had been and she hoped to God he always would be. So she would be his. Leaning forward, Michonne tilted her head and moved her lips over his in a kiss that was obvious in its message.

 _I'm ready for this new world, Grimes, as long as you are._

After several delicious moments of stating her message, Michonne pulled back and smiled as Rick leaned forward as if to prolong their contact.

He really was too cute.

"Sounds like a plan. One day at a time and we do what feels right. So…you think we can sleep next to each other without wanting to tear each other's clothes off?"

With a hoarse laugh and small groan, Rick looked to the ceiling as if asking for help from whoever was listening and then stated what he thought was the obvious. "Being within _a mile_ of you makes me want to tear your clothes off but I promise I won't _act_ on it until we're both ready."

As heat shot to her core at his proclamation of lust, Michonne's body scolded her head and heart for their choices and she almost caved to her baser instincts but, in the end, the need to do this right won the day as she instructed her hands not to wander over the muscled chest in front of her and responded with a simple smile.

"I promise too. Clothes tearing shall commence at a future date."

Rick groaned as he flopped back onto his pallet. "I really need you to not use the phrase 'clothes tearing'. Help me out a little, okay?"

Moving to mirror Rick's position, Michonne turned her head to get one last look at her brand new boyfriend before the lantern was turned off for the night. As Rick stared up at the ceiling, her eyes roamed his profile, the curls lying on his forehead, his strong nose, the chiseled jaw that marked him more man than boy and then back to the mouth that had opened up a whole new world for her.

Giving her brain an early light's out, Michonne acted on impulse and scooted over to Rick, ducking under his arm to rest her head on his chest and her hand on his stomach. Tilting her head to meet his heated gaze, Michonne gave him a soft smile.

"Is it okay if we try sleeping like this or would you rather stay separate? Keep temptation at bay as it were."

Rick's answer was to reach over with his free arm to extinguish the lantern and then wrap it around Michonne to bring her closer. With a soft kiss on her forehead, Rick whispered, "This is perfect. Just keep your hand above the belt and we should make it till dawn."

Burying her laugh in his chest, Michonne murmured. "Night, G."

One last squeeze and then, "Night, Miche. Sweet dreams."

And with that, exhaustion took over and sleep won out over young passion.

There would be plenty of time for that.

 **Then – Age 14**

He didn't want to go to the dance and had made that very clear for weeks. He had listed the dozen other activities he'd rather do than leaning against the gymnasium wall while music blared and strobe lights flashed. He had turned down Lori's invitation to be her date. He had even gone so far as rent two movies to watch in lieu of participating in this awkward adolescent ritual.

But then Shane had made an offer he couldn't refuse and here he was, sipping warm punch and watching his oldest friend dance with and around a group of giggling girls. With a sigh, Rick leaned his head against the wall and barely stopped from banging it in frustration. Recalling Shane's weak pleas earlier in the day, Rick felt like he had been conned.

"Come on dude, you _gotta_ come. We haven't gone to any of these things and this is our last chance before leaving middle school forever."

Rick shook his head and chuckled as he tossed the football back to his friend. "You're only going because you have a girlfriend and she wants to go so you're being dragged along."

Holding the ball under his arm after catching it, Shane shook his finger at Rick. "Your turn is coming, believe you me. The world is only as happy as the women living in it so our lives are easier by just giving in."

Rick held out his hands and gestured for Shane to throw the ball, running backwards once it was in the air and catching it with ease. "My _turn_ is years away because I'm in no hurry to start dating. Seems like a whole lot of work with little pay off. At least at this age."

Shane chuckled. "Of course you're in no hurry to date. You already have….." Shane's sudden quiet had Rick tilting his head in curiosity.

"I already have what?" he asked.

Fishing his cellphone out of his pocket, Shane made a big show of reading his text messages. "Never mind, I gotta go home for dinner….uh….anyway here is my final offer and I won't take no for an answer so save your breath."

Juggling the ball in his hands as he walked toward his friend, Rick shook his head with a grin. "No way Walsh. There's nothing you can offer that would make me voluntarily go to the dance, nothing"

 _Especially since he knew Michonne wasn't going either. Maybe she'd be interested in watching the movies he'd rented…._

"I'll weed your backyard free of charge."

Shocked at the outrageous offer as both boys loathed nothing more than the spring ritual of pulling weeds from their mothers' gardens, Rick stopped in front of Shane with widened eyes and then without any further hesitation stuck his hand out to be shaken. "Deal."

The movies were a three day rental so he still had time to watch them anyway.

The booming bass of the dance mixed song accompanied by the high pitched squeals of at least a dozen girls dancing nearby brought Rick back to his annoying present and he slid his gaze to the large clock hanging over his escape route….the gym exit.

Had it really only been fifteen minutes since he'd arrived?

Squelching a sigh of resignation and focusing instead on the joy of finishing his weeding chore in half the usual time, Rick stood up from his place against the wall and made his way over to refill his punch glass. He wouldn't drink it of course because it sucked and was too warm, but it gave him something to do other than looking like the bored loser that he was.

As he approached the gym doors, the punch table only a few feet beyond, a flash of sparkling purple caught his eye and he turned just in time to meet Michonne's gaze as she stood in the entryway.

He almost dropped his punch cup.

In the few seconds that it took Rick to look at her and internalize her appearance, while getting over his shock at seeing her at the dance, he came to one conclusion that he knew beyond any doubt to be fact.

Michonne Payton, his best friend, was the most beautiful girl at the eighth grade dance, their school and all of southern Georgia.

The shimmery purple fabric of her knee length dress coupled with her braids pulled up high off her neck put all focus on her wide eyes, full lips and her beautiful, beautiful dark skin. Swallowing hard and willing himself not to sweat like an idiot, Rick pasted a friendly smile on his face and walked over to greet her.

"Hey."

He was lucky to get that short word out.

Relief lighting her brown eyes, Michonne grinned as she continued her entrance into the gym. "G! I didn't think you were coming. It's so cool that you're here."

Willing himself to speak in whole sentences, Rick replied with a thumb jerked over his shoulder at the dancing throng behind him. "Shane bribed me into coming….gave me an offer I couldn't refuse."

Michonne laughed. "That's why I'm here too. Andrea gave me puppy dog eyes and tried to make me feel guilty skipping our last hurrah of middle school and when that didn't work offered me her nail salon gift certificate that her parents gave her for her birthday." A shrug and then another grin. "She knows my nails are my vanity so here I am."

Returning her grin and relaxing for the first time since arriving, Rick nodded and then gestured toward the table in front of them. "I was just going to get some more punch. You want some?"

"Sure!"

A few minutes later, punch cups in hand, Rick and Michonne slowly walked around the perimeter of the gym and provided commentary to each other about the craziness that was occurring on the dance floor, the least of which were the two friends who had dragged them here. As they completed their circuit, Rick gestured to the bleachers next to them and Michonne nodded, happy to hang out with her friend.

Her friend who looked especially handsome and grown up in his pressed khakis, shiny brown loafers and blue shirt and tie that made his eyes more amazing than usual. Giving her head a quick shake as if to rid her mind of non-platonic thoughts, Michonne focused on keeping up her end of the conversation.

Just as she was about to comment on the music, Michonne felt a stare drilling a hole into her and when she saw who it was, turned to Rick. "Why is Lori giving me the death stare?"

Swiveling his gaze from Michonne to the crowd in front of them, Rick grimaced as he took in the simmering anger of their classmate. "It's not you she's pissed at, it's me. I told her I had a conflict when she asked me to come to the dance with her."

Tilting her head, Michonne replied while sending Lori a smile and wave. "I'm pretty sure she's willing me into non-existence but, sure, she can be mad at you too."

"Michonne, I thought you had to go visit your grandma tonight and couldn't make it!" The loud rebuke, spoken by Brian, the boy who had asked her to be his date, was delivered in the brief lull between songs, causing several heads to swing their way.

So much for staying under the radar, Michonne thought as she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Brian, I gave you that excuse because I really didn't want to come to the dance. I'm only here because Andrea bribed me."

Rick smothered his surprised laughter at Michonne's brutal honesty but a small snort escaped despite his efforts.

Brian shoved his hands into his pants pockets as he moved his gaze from the pair sitting an inch apart on the bleachers in a darkened corner of the gym to over his shoulder and then back again. "You mean the Andrea who hasn't left the dance floor since your arrival?"

Swallowing past the guilt that bubbled up to the surface as Brian was a nice kid, cute and smart too, Michonne replied with an apologetic smile. "That's the one."

With a final glare aimed at Rick, Brian muttered, "Maybe we can dance later then," as he walked away and headed to the punch bowl.

"That went well," Rick observed in a dry tone. "Our social standing shouldn't plummet at all after tonight."

Michonne groaned. "We're terrible people, G. Selfish, self-centered, terrible people. We're _heartbreakers_."

Rick nodded and stood up from the bleachers, his quick mind devising a solution to Michonne's lament. "I'm going to grab a bag of popcorn and talk to Shane, who's headed over there now, and you can go dance with Andrea and the other girls making all of that noise over there. Then after we blend for a little while, we can meet back here and get back to our commentary. This way it doesn't look like we're here together."

 _Even though they were_ , Rick wanted to declare out loud but wisely kept to himself.

"Excellent thinking. I love this song anyway. Meet you back here in twenty?" Michonne replied with a grin as she backed her way to the dance floor.

 _Five would be better._

Matching Michonne's grin with his own, Rick shouted "Twenty!" over the music now blasting throughout the gym.

As Michonne quickly made her way toward Andrea, she decided that school dances weren't so bad after all and that tonight might actually turn out to be pretty damn fun.

"Michonne! You look gorgeous!" Andrea yelled over the pounding bass of the music blaring throughout the gym as she gave her friend an enthusiastic hug. Holding on to Michonne's shoulders, Andrea said in a low tone in Michonne's ear, "Is that big ass grin because you're watching me dance terribly to Pink or because you've just spent some quality time with one Mr. Rick Grimes - eighth grade stud muffin?"

Pushing Andrea away and playfully slapping her arm, Michonne laughed. "You're relentless! I ran into Rick when I got here and we were commiserating about the awkwardness of school dances, that's all."

Turning her back to the group of girls dancing behind her, Andrea grinned as her eyes sparkled with mischief. "I just love it when the match- _ees_ have no clue they've been matched by the master."

Michonne narrowed her eyes at her friend. "What do you mean, _match-ees_? Rick and I just ran into each other…." And, at that moment, it all became very clear. Moving her gaze from her triumphant friend, Michonne spun around just in time to see Rick look across the gym at her as Shane grinned at him and slapped his back, obviously just been told the same thing.

Andrea had worked with Shane to bring Rick and Michonne to the dance in an effort to match them up.

Her friend was as diabolical as she was brilliant and since Michonne admired the effort, she would wait to break the news to her until the morning.

Rick was her friend and _only_ her friend and no amount of matchmaking would change that.

Right? _Right_.

Leaning in, Michonne yelled '"You got me good, girlfriend!" before joining in the circle of dancing, giggling girls.

Twenty minutes later, slightly out of breath from dancing, Michonne walked back over to the spot she had left Rick, giving him a small wave as he broke away from the group of boys hanging out by the refreshment table, a fresh bowl of popcorn in his hand.

As he took his seat next to Michonne, Rick tried out the line he'd been practicing since Shane had shared the scheme he and Andrea had cooked up to bring them together. "So, is your friend as crazy as mine?"

Michonne let out a snort as she scooped up a handful of popcorn out of the bowl set between them. "Crazier. She's the mastermind after all. I told her that you and I were only friends but she's got it stuck in that blonde head of hers that we're 'meant to be' or something like that. Crazy, right?"

Rick swallowed past the lump in his throat as his gaze roamed over Michonne's pretty face before scooping out a handful of popcorn and replying with casual disregard that, if he were was honest with himself, wasn't totally sincere.

"Crazy. Right."

Even though Rick's quick agreement was expected, Michonne would be lying if she didn't feel a tiny jab at his response. As she shook that feeling off, Michonne forced her attention out to the dance floor, needing to get control of the night once again.

"Okay, now that we've established that, let's move onto to much more important things. We'll look for the clumsiest dancer and the most miserable chaperone, okay? We'll each get a minute to judge and then I'll count to five and we'll shout out the name. If we both say the same name, we'll leave and go watch the movies you rented and if they're different, we'll torture ourselves for another twenty minutes. Deal?"

Sending a quick prayer up to heaven for a matching answer as watching movies with his _friend_ was much preferable over watching a bunch of sweaty classmates pretend they were cool, Rick slid a sideways glance to Michonne and replied, "Deal, start the timer."

Two minutes later, Rick and Michonne race walked out of the gym as they argued over which movie to watch first, both grateful that everything was right in the world again.

 **A/N: Thank you very much for returning to this story after an unexpected hiatus. I needed to focus on being a mom these past few months as my son worked through a mental health crisis. He's on the mend and I'm now able to spend some time doing what I love- writing about my two favorite characters! I can't express how much I appreciate your words of support and encouragement for both my story and for me as I worked through this difficult time. I can't wait to continue this story as there is so much more story to tell! Thank you again- your support is everything to me. Love, Mama.**


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